Brady 'very close' to end of career, but could play on

Having briefly retired earlier in the year, Tom Brady acknowledges that he's "very close" to the end of his career, but won't close the door on further seasons.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback told Variety that this season could be his last...or not.

“I would say it’s year to year,” Brady said. “Could this be my last year? Absolutely. Could I change my mind? Absolutely. I’ve realized I don’t have five years left. I want to do it my way. I want to give it everything I got and see where I’m at. My body feels really good. I’ve had a lot of traumatic injuries over the years, but if things go really smoothly and we win, that’d be great.”

Brady announced his retirement on Feb. 1 after 22 NFL seasons and his second with the Bucs. But then on Mar. 13, he announced that he would, in fact, return for a 23rd campaign.

Brady acknowledged that another Super Bowl win, which would be his eighth, would be the perfect coda to his career.

“I think that would obviously be the greatest way to end,” Brady said. “I just have a competitive fire that got the best of me.”

Brady and the Bucs kick off their 2022 season on Sept. 11 with a Sunday Night Football visit to the Dallas Cowboys.