After a series of concerns surrounding Tampa Bay Buccaneers star quarterback Tom Brady and his exact return following weeks of absence, the veteran QB is set to rejoin the team this week. Bucs head coach Todd Bowles confirmed earlier Sunday. It turns out that Brady’s planned leave involved family time with his wife, Gisele Bündchen, at an exclusive resort in the Bahamas at one point in his weeks of hiatus, as per Pro Football Network’s Aaron Wilson.
Bowles said last week that Brady would be making his return with the team sometime after the preseason game against the Tennessee Titans, which took place last weekend. However, he did not disclose specifics about Brady’s “personal reasons”. It was until a league source told reports the veteran would return this week on Monday.
Now, Bucs fans might want to be at ease after this revelation, knowing that the QB had taken some time off with his family and there were no medical emergencies tied to his leave.
New update on Brady’s leave
Bowles said last week that he knew the exact date when Brady would return. The first-year coach assured NFL enthusiasts that no one should be worried about Brady’s leave.
“I know exactly when Tom is coming back, and I’ve consistently said it would be sometime after the Titans game,” Bowles said Friday. “Do I look worried? I’m not worried, so I don’t know why anyone else would be worried.”
Bucs linebacker Devin White supported Brady’s decision to take days off and added that many on the team also supported his decision.
“He’s a grown man — (more grown) than most of us in the locker room, and he’s a human at the end of the day. He’s got personal problems going on, but he’s a guy that’s been doing this so long, he (doesn’t) need to be here,” White said.
“If he’s not here, we know that he’s still working. He has a great supporting cast around him and he’s going to get his work in whether he’s here or not here, so when he comes back, he’ll never miss a beat and that’s the only important thing.”
However, there were various reasons why Brady’s planned leave hit major news headlines following the Bucs declaring their star player would be away for weeks on August 11.
First and foremost, there were talks regarding his potential leave from Tampa Bay. Second, there were huge concerns over the 45-year-old’s medical condition ahead of the regular season since he had missed out on playing the Miami Dolphins in the first preseason game and, most recently, against the Titans.
However, it turns out that the correct answer for Brady’s leave was the most obvious.
A brief about Brady
Brady, a longtime QB in the NFL, had spent most of his career playing for the New England Patriots. The seven-time Super Bowl champ played for 19 seasons with the Patriots until he was signed by the Bucs in 2020 to a two-year, $50 million contract that includes up to $4.5 million of incentives each year alongside a no-trade and a no-franchise tag clause.
On February 1, 2022, the three-time NFL MVP announced his retirement from the NFL, only to have him announce his return 40 days later on March 13.
“These past two months I’ve realized my place is still on the field and not in the stands. That time will come. But it’s not now. I love my teammates, and I love my supportive family. They make it all possible. I’m coming back for my 23rd season in Tampa. Unfinished business LFG,” Brady wrote.