“I Would Say That This Is His Final Season”
April 20th, 2022
Surprise! Tom Brady was a topic on ESPN TV this morning as two guys who know him well spoke with conviction.
The show was Get Up, which Joe prefers to call “Stay In Bed.” But sometimes it’s worth watching, which is why Joe’s staff of 16 1/2 interns always monitors the broadcast.
NFL and renowned Brady insider Jeff Darlington, the pride of Pinellas County, was on today and was introduced by host Mike Greenberg as someone who knows Tom Brady well.
Darlington said he believes Brady views the 2022 season as his last in uniform. “I would say that this is is final season.”
Former Brady teammate Rob Ninkovich, who said he recently hung out at the home of his pal Rob Gronkowski, was adamant that Brady doesn’t want to go out with a farewell-tour season and he won’t admit he’s entering his final year.
“I have the feeling that he’s realizing this is his last season,” Ninkovich said of Brady. “He doesn’t want every game like, ‘This is his last home game. This is his last away game.’ He doesn’t want that, the last touchdown pass. He just wants to go out there and perform at a high level and help his team win.”
Interestingly, Ninkovich and Darlington had slightly somber tones to their voices. They are either good soldiers for the official yet unspoken Brady corporate message, or they truly believe Brady’s entering his final days wearing a helmet.
Joe will say that if Brady truly does not want a farewell-tour kind of season with rampant speculation and distractions, then he can sign a contract extension with the Bucs right now and simply retire after the Super Bowl.
April 20th, 2022 at 12:46 pm
I hope that 16.5 interns was a joke. That sounds like quite the sweat shop, haha
April 20th, 2022 at 12:49 pm
Thank you TB!2
April 20th, 2022 at 12:49 pm
Super Bowl or bust. Trade Godwin to the 49’s for Deebo.
April 20th, 2022 at 12:51 pm
Right now I am just glad for THIS yr!
April 20th, 2022 at 12:55 pm
Is he signs an extension then the Bucs are stuck with more dead cap if he retires hes doing the right thing year by year.
April 20th, 2022 at 12:56 pm
Deebo Samuels is becoming available….
Evans; Samuel and Gage would be a heck of a trio and make Godwin obsolete!
April 20th, 2022 at 12:58 pm
The unretirement was like Icebox O’shea showing up at halftime. Brady wants to go out on top, as an SB champ.
April 20th, 2022 at 1:10 pm
I hope so. I didn’t like how Favre went out. TB12 has enough to successfully make it through the season. It would be nice to see him walk away healthy.
April 20th, 2022 at 1:24 pm
Stay in Bed should just have jenna lame run the buc segments because it is just as bad reminds me of VP Harris explainingg space
April 20th, 2022 at 1:43 pm
Ninko is correct, Brady would hate the idea of a farewell tour. It would be an added distraction for him, and his team mates. I don’t think this is his final year though. Maybe if he suffers a significant injury, or plain sucks. Those two things are remote in my opinion. Last year was a top five regular season for him, and without the AB situation and Godwin injury, he would’ve won again. He loves the game too much, and his family understands that. When it’s over it’s over. And, nothing else in his life will ever give him that degree of satisfaction. Let’s look at it this way, would you retire in his shoes? I certainly wouldn’t. My pro career ended at 22, without ever making a 53. Id give almost anything to have another crack.
April 20th, 2022 at 1:49 pm
ninkovich is the worst… this guy stinks of dumb takes because he was a former player.
April 20th, 2022 at 2:04 pm
This is Brady’s final season….until it isn’t. If he won’t sign a contract extension doesn’t that negate any possibility of further restructuring?
And….how do you have a 1/2 intern? Isn’t an intern an intern? Or is it a Monica?
April 20th, 2022 at 2:05 pm
This makes the most sense of any speculation I have heard about TB12’s future plans. No reason to make a spectacle every week in a farewell tour. Forget the Miami BS and keep future to himself. I am thankful for this year and really believe this is it. Let’s make it memorable!
April 20th, 2022 at 2:36 pm
Now we know who cuts out all our posts. Get Samuel at ANY cost. He is the answer to anything the Rams can throw at you. Suh, Grink, Samuel at any cost, if JPP wants to come for the ride on the cheap so be it. Find the cap space other teams are.
April 20th, 2022 at 2:48 pm
Listnfrmafar, agreed
April 20th, 2022 at 3:17 pm
Listnfrmafar Says:
April 20th, 2022 at 2:36 pm
We already have found the cap space other teams have. People don’t seem to realize how many high priced guys we already carry on this team. Get some friggin’ perspective.
We have Evans @ about 15 mil per year, Godwin @ 20, Gage at 10… so there’s 45 million per year, just in our top 3 receivers… Add in Samuel, who will wanna be paid 20, 25 who the h3ll knows… so lets say 65 million just on 4 receivers… That’s just a bit under 1/3 of the entire cap. That’s literally insane. That would be extreme cap mismanagement that would lead to cutting players elsewhere and eventual cap hell and crash.
If you want another receiver that badly, I at least understand drafting one in round 1 this year… At least that guy won’t need to be paid big $$ for another 5 years.
Buying teams is for the simple minded.
April 20th, 2022 at 4:56 pm
It is really hard for me to believe that any team that has Deebo would let him go, for ANYTHING!
April 20th, 2022 at 5:05 pm
Buying teams is for the simple minded? Wrong, the Rams did it last year. it’s the new NFL. It’s a simple question. Do you want the best players, or do you want to win the salary cap. Just look at the saints. They dug themselves out of a 65 million dollar hole, just to have a chance at Watson. It’s about real dollars. If an owner wants to pay real money, you can essentially fit anyone under the crap, at any time.
April 20th, 2022 at 5:09 pm
sasquash, this is not the 90’s, teams today play for the now and mortgage their futures. There are few teams with 2 SB’s and obviously less with 3. Samuel said he isn’t holding out for money, what better enticement would be to play with Brady in his highly likely last year with a great chance at a SB? Sign him to a one.year deal and face the facts Bucs will be on a multi year rebuild. Every team goes through it. Sell out now while you have the GOAT who knows who the Bucs QB will be next season.
April 20th, 2022 at 5:35 pm
With little or nothing to talk about in the off-season, these guys are clueless. Tom Brady hasn’t made up his mind. If he has, he can change it. As long as TB12 is protected and stays healthy, who knows. But towards the end of last season he had some throws short of their target. So the arm could have been tired or possibly injured. Why don’t they just leave Tom alone and stop spreading rumors.
April 20th, 2022 at 5:50 pm
Exactly Listnfrmafar. All teams reset. But, It has much more to do with real money than a cap. Win while you can!!! The bucs are going back to a dark place where Brady leaves anyway
April 20th, 2022 at 6:37 pm
I don’t see all of the Godwin hate, looking at these men like property in a video game. There is no way Licht would trade Godwin like that.
April 20th, 2022 at 7:02 pm
@List,
Regardless of whether you care about the cap, adding Samuel is too much money to put into one position. It’s ridiculous. I also don’t agree that you blow up the cap and bankrupt the future. I don’t think that’s necessary. Pushing out some dead cap into future years is okay when you’re in the SB window, and the Bucs have done plenty of that. And I don’t agree that we basically go to suckville after Brady retires. I mean, if that’s how you wanna play it, you can, but it’s not necessary. We have too much talent that has taken years to build than to just flush it after Brady leaves.
April 20th, 2022 at 7:19 pm
Darlington is a fraud. Tom sr called him at a couple of weeks ago pre maturely saying Brady is retiring. Darlington is out of Brady trust circle. Go look it up March 2 he was on get up and said Brady wasnt coming back. He said Brady was enjoying he retirement with his family. He said maybe in june he will get itch but in my opinion he is done. Google Get up march 2. That same week Schefter on his podcast said Brady is not coming back. Darlington today also said i thinks Brady will play for Dolphins next year. He said where there is smoke their is fire. He is talking out of both sides of his mouth. He is finished with the Brady camp
April 21st, 2022 at 7:14 am
sasquash, I guess repeating 2021 is OK with uou, close but no cigar. I am not sure if you know this but at the start of EVERY season there is ONE goal to win the SB not make the playoffs or go 9-8 and preserve your team. The opportunity to go to let alone win a SB is slim ask Andy Reid, KC was supposed to be the shoe in last season. Load up and go for it you never know if you’ll get there again. The way players contracts are structured now dynasties will be scarce.
April 21st, 2022 at 10:06 am
The half intern blow up doll is only partially inflated
April 21st, 2022 at 12:03 pm
@List-
If I we’re gonna load up without regard to the cap, I’d start on the D-line. And then OLB/Edge, then CB… And then a WR.
The Bucs are spending plenty… already pushing significant dead money into the future… You’re delusional. Look at all the highly paid players they already are carrying. We have weaknesses, but WR isn’t one of them… but I wouldn’t argue with drafting another explosive WR (as long as we also address defensive needs).
Sorry, the GM’s job is still to keep an eye on the future. We are well prepared to make another SB run, provided we draft wisely.