Tom Brady may not be hanging up his cleats after all.
Despite reports from established NFL insiders Adam Schefter, Jeff Darlington, and Ian Rapoport on Saturday that the seven-time Super Bowl champion is set to retire after 22 seasons in the NFL, Brady's father, Tom Brady Sr., says the claims about his son are false.
Brady Sr. told KRON4 News that the legendary Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB is not retiring.
According to a tweet from KRON4 reporter Kylen Mills, Brady Sr. credited reports of his son's retirement to "an online publication [that] started circulating an unsubstantiated rumor."
"A number of NFL insiders are now reporting it," Mills added.
Brady's agent, Don Yee, neither confirmed or denied initial reporting from the NFL insiders, but he said in a statement that "the only person to express his plans with complete accuracy" will be the quarterback himself.
NFL reporter Michael Silver said on Twitter that Brady told Buccaneers General Manager Jason Licht that he hasn't yet made a final decision on retirement. Around the same time, Brady's TB12 brand deleted a tweet announcing his retirement that followed the initial reports.
Schefter, Darlington, and Rapoport - three of the most trusted reporters in and around the NFL - have all stood by their initial reporting.
It's unclear whether Brady Sr. was truly attempting to set the record straight or just trying to "protect his son," as Mills suggested in a follow-up tweet, by allowing him to make the retirement announcement himself.
Mills said he "insisted" that "retirement reports are NOT true."
Earlier on Saturday, ESPN's sources said the superstar athlete was considering his family, health, and the likely Buccaneers roster turnover while making his highly-anticipated decision.
"Many who know him believed he desired a decision made without much drama leading up to it," ESPN reported. He had previously said that he didn't want to play a "farewell season."
He currently has more Super Bowl wins than any franchise team on its own, winning six with the Patriots (2002, 2004, 2005, 2015, 2017, 2019) and one with the Buccaneers (2021).
And he's the only player to win a Super Bowl in three different decades. He has never had a losing season.
He spent the first 20 years of his career with the New England Patriots before moving to Tampa Bay with a two-year deal in March 2020 worth a guaranteed $50 million.
The 44-year-old had previously stated that he planned to play in the NFL until he turned 45, which will be this August, and had hoped to leave after winning another Super Bowl.
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