The End Is Clear And Near
June 19th, 2022
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BY IRA KAUFMAN
When Michael Jackson sang “This Is It’ in 2009, he wasn’t thinking about an extraordinary quarterback who would lead the Bucs to the promised land.
Thirteen years later, Buc Nation has to come to grips with the state of Tom Brady’s incomparable career. Yes, this is it.
Unless you refuse to read the tea leaves, it has become rather obvious this is Brady’s final season at One Buc Place. He’s not under contract for 2023, although ownership and the Buc braintrust would love him to sign an extension.
Why not? He shows no signs of slowing down as he enters his 23rd NFL season. He just led the league in pass attempts, completions, passing yards and TD passes. He’s feeling healthier than he has in years and his team is favored to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl.
Still, the odds appear overwhelming that the Bucs will have a new player under center in 2023. Tampa Bay fans understandably don’t want to contemplate life without No. 12, but it’s just around the corner.
In 2017, Brady said he wanted to play until he’s 45. He turns 45 in August. He already announced his retirement once, but didn’t file the papers. He already has a job in the broadcast booth that will pay him crazy money when he’s done shredding defenses.
This is it.
Every time Brady is interviewed, he talks about life after football.
He mentions how close he is to firing his final pass — which will most likely be a completion. Yes, he’s an outlier, but even outliers have to yield to the aging process at some point.
Sorry, Miami. If Brady does decide to keep going, why would he want to play for another franchise? Where’s he going to find better targets than Mike Evans and Chris Godwin or an offensive line that affords him better protection?
He’s not.
Tampa Bay is the best place for Brady until he grabs a microphone instead of a football. He knows that, but his biological clock is ticking and the alarm is about to go off.
He’ll give 100 percent when training camp begins because that’s what Tom Brady does. His team is all-in and so is the quarterback, at least through the postseason.
But Brady won’t make the same commitment in 2023. You can see it in his face and sense it from his comments. In terms of Brady’s NFL career, it’s not dark yet, but it’s getting there.
Not even Team Glazer can get Tom Brady to play quarterback in 2023, says Ira Kaufman.
It’s just like him to go out with no fanfare.
With one simple announcement, Brady could embark on a farewell tour through NFL stadiums in the fall. Not gonna happen. He’s not interested in basking in the warm embrace of Dallas fans.
That’s not in his DNA. He’s a cold-blooded terminator more interested in shutting down Jerry’s World.
All signs point to Brady bowing out quietly after the season. When he returns to Raymond James Stadium in 2023, it will be to attend his Ring of Honor ceremony.
Good luck getting a ticket.
In the nine previous years before Brady arrived, the Bucs averaged five wins. In their two years with Brady, the Bucs have averaged 15 wins. Yes, the good times have rolled and they figure to roll again if Brady remains upright.
But make no mistake — he sees the finish line and it’s coming up fast.
This is it.
Yes, that warranty includes USED vehicles!
Ira drives a 2020 Ford Escape (cherry red).
June 19th, 2022 at 11:02 am
I don’t wanna believe it Ira. Enjoy it while it lasts!
June 19th, 2022 at 11:18 am
While I totally understand Ira’s sentiment and agree he’s observing accurately what the majority of “Buc Nation” feels; I simply can’t go along.
A single year provides many dramatic changes to the balance of power in the NFL. I concede that Brady has shifted that balance to us in the past three years and we MAY drop in those power rankings after Brady leaves.
Do we also realize that 45 year old Brady is one missed block from being forced into retirement? Brady will not come back from the same injury that Godwin is rehabbing. Hell he won’t come back from Scottie Millers horrible turf toe should he get it.
While I agree and with and live with the old saying…”Fail to plan, plan to fail”.
I first heard this from a consultant and most recently of course in the excellent movie King Richard.
While I understand the need for planning there is just as great a need for flexibility and adjustment. A ship sailing the sea sets a course…a plan…the wind and currents make them drift and they correct course.
We certainly know that the abscence of #12 threatens our offense. We do not know for sure however that his successor will automatically mean disaster.
Yes Brady is the GOAT…I do not give him sole or even the lion’s share of credit for changing culture…he was certainly a big part but that started with BA.
Final thought…there is only ONE GOAT. There perhaps can be debate of maybe a few challengers…but Brady is the GOAT. Mahomes is NOT….he may become one if he continues to play at his present level for two more decades.
Bottom line…I totally respect and admire Brad Johnson. I’ve always felt he never got full credit for all his athletic achievements. Remember he went to FSU to play basketball. He started 11 games as a freshman. FSU is obviously a Division I team and even in down years is big time college hoops.
I do not believe Brady could start for any basketball team…baseball yes.
If Brad could get us to the SB and Dilfer got Ravens a ring clearly you do not need a GOAT to win the big prize.
June 19th, 2022 at 11:22 am
La, La, La, La, La (fingers in ears)!
June 19th, 2022 at 11:23 am
Brady will be remembered as the greatest player in 2 different NFL franchises’ history.
June 19th, 2022 at 11:26 am
Super bowl or bust.
June 19th, 2022 at 11:27 am
Gbo great comment. Literally need to enjoy every moment. Every play every practice every game. Pure amazement to get to watch TB12 do things no other QB has done at this age. Watching the lost decade n then to come to this has bin totally worth it. THANK UOU TB12. Now let’s go get this champ
June 19th, 2022 at 12:17 pm
Stop….stop with the endless speculation on a Brady return in 23…..it is completely irrelevant for now…….we have gone all-in again for this year….let’s let it play out.
June 19th, 2022 at 12:42 pm
Not coming back chief!
June 19th, 2022 at 1:39 pm
Great post again StPete. Seems every post regarding our GOAT just HAS to mention the word “retirement”. I am not only sick of hearing it but if there is any truth to minds holding negative or positive “sets” changing outcomes, I wish to HELL we would stop hearing and thinking about that word and its implications.
June 19th, 2022 at 2:48 pm
stpete, couldn’t disagree more. Nobody is winning the superbowl without a top 10-12 QB, and a good roster. It’s a totally different league. If you honestly think Bruce Arians was the turning point for the bucs organization, you’re bonkers. Brady taught them how to win.
Unless the bucs trade for a big name QB after Brady leaves, they won’t win squat. Do the bucs have a good roster, yes. But, talent has never been the problem. It’s always been the QB. Most every team is in the same boat. If you have the man, you have a chance. If you don’t, you don’t. It’s that simple. Any given year, only a handful of teams have a shot to win the superbowl. Those teams all have top flight QBs. The days of winning with Trent Dilfer and Brad Johnson are long gone.
June 19th, 2022 at 3:19 pm
lets just enjoy the season, win or lose. Brady has made the bucs relevant..
i dont want to even think about 2023 and kyle trask… im already sick to my stomach…
June 19th, 2022 at 3:52 pm
GOB
I don’t think we disagree perhaps as much as you think. You posted..
“top 10-12 QB,” and I certainly agree with that.
I think Dilfer had talent but was a head case who butted up against Sam Wyche.
He also was not on very good Buc teams. He got the boot, some modesty, and began to play to his skill set which was not insignificant.
So I believe Brad Johnson was a top 10 QB as was Dilfer for at least one season.
There is more than one way to win. A young superstar QB like Burrows or Mahomes is obviously great…but a team with a great D and a good offense around a talented QB can still win.
June 19th, 2022 at 3:53 pm
The Bucs have enough talent on offense and defense to win the NFCS with Trask at QB. Brady makes the team competitive for another Lombardi. The Bengals played in the SB with a second year QB. The Bucs are a better team than the Bengals. I stress the word “team”. We will learn what we have in Trask next season when Brady is gone. Brady is free from the Bucs as he requested next season. I believe Trask wants to be here. I prefer players with a sense of loyalty. I look forward to a future with a team that’s united. I think Brady already has one foot out the door. I will root for his success as long as he is here.
June 19th, 2022 at 3:56 pm
BTW…I’m not sure that if Josh Freeman hadn’t been an off field disaster and on the field had his running talent robbed by Schiano..the JFro didn’t have the talent to compete.
JFro just never grew up and he didn’t exactly get the greatest of coaching. I’m not saying he had Randell Cunningham’s talent but he certainly possessed some of the same skills…sadly his legs were literally taken away by the Rutgers coach.
Imagine how effective Mahomes would be if Reid told him DO NOT RUN. Yes he has a much more accurate arm that JFro so he was always going to be better but taking Mahomes running game from him would handicap him greatly. Because of Jfros wildness it harmed his game even more.
June 19th, 2022 at 4:15 pm
Awesome as always Ira. I think this is it for em too.
June 19th, 2022 at 4:41 pm
sparky, Trask has no option but to be here, they drafted him. I doubt Brady plays for another team next year. But even if he does, how about a little loyalty to the man that changed the fate of the organization.
Labeling Brady as some mercenary, is unfair. As a Patriots fan, I know what one foot out the door looks like with him. He’s committed to win another Ring in Tampa, because he knows he has a legit chance. He didn’t have that his last year in NE. Enjoy going back into the wilderness once he’s gone. I swear some of you wear losing like a red badge of courage.
June 19th, 2022 at 4:46 pm
GOB … ‘Unless the bucs trade for a big name QB after Brady leaves, they won’t win squat. Do the bucs have a good roster, yes. But, talent has never been the problem. It’s always been the QB’.
Can’t disagree about the value of having a ‘big name QB’, but at the same time every big name QB was once relatively unknown & inexperienced. And yes, Tom Brady was one of them, being a 6th Rnd draft pick in 2000. So was Aaron Rodgers. Although he was a 1st Rnd draft pick in 2005, he sat for 3 years before getting his 1st opportunity to start (then went 6-10 that year). Regardless of where a QB is drafted, great coaching certainly helps, and so does having a strong supporting cast to work with. Brady’s certainly had all of that over the years, including here in Tampa. And so has Rodgers in Green Bay.
And the same could very well hold true for Kyle Trask, but none of us will know for sure until he gets on the field. What we do know however is that the Bucs have created an excellent coaching staff AND built a strong team overall. And Trask … or any other QB we bring in … will benefit from that, one that we can hopefully maintain in the years ahead. But that’ll be near impossible IMO if Bucs pull a Cleveland Browns and spend a quarter of a billion dollars for a ‘big name QB’.
We’ve been spoiled with Tom Brady, but there’s only one GOAT. I hope Bucs’ fans don’t expect Kyle Trask to fill those shoes on Day 1. Or possibly ever.
June 19th, 2022 at 5:09 pm
Seems like the same debate whether BB vs Tom or BA vs Tom. Let’s just say, GOB, that BA was smart and savvy enough to garner TB and Bill basically kicked him out the door. Also, to mention, he built a loyal, competent staff, and got 31 other decent players around Tom. IMO, BA changed the Bucs culture BIG time and I think Bowles learns a lot from him.
June 19th, 2022 at 5:29 pm
Then enjoy 2022, as the last two years have been an awesome run..and maybe this year will be even more memorable!
I’ll worry about 2023 after the throes of 2022 are done.
June 19th, 2022 at 8:35 pm
Trask could not win much with the team we had three or four years ago. This team and the team we will have in 2023 is light years different. Trask can win the division with this team and these coaches. Brady is not the only star, and he is not the only reason we have won games. Trask isn’t Brady. Nobody is, but Trask has everything he needs to beat most of the teams in the league and all of the teams in the division. I believe in Licht, and I believe in this organization. This is not the Yucs anymore.
June 20th, 2022 at 10:11 am
Hey, Ira…Beat it!
June 20th, 2022 at 5:52 pm
Brady can retire lobe he finally beats the Aints twice in one season