AMPA, FLORIDA – JANUARY 16: Tom Brady #12 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers throws a pass against the Dallas Cowboys during the second half in the NFC Wild Card playoff game at Raymond James Stadium on January 16, 2023 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
Tom Brady recently announced his retirement from the NFL… for the second time in as meany years.

This time is supposed to be different, though. Rather than having the media break the news, Tom broke the story himself in a heartfelt video. And he even made it official by handing in his retirement papers to the NFL and NFLPA this past week.

There it is… ?https://t.co/7NlQAfA3ks

— TPS (@TotalProSports) February 11, 2023

So this means he’s done for sure….right? Well, according to CBS’s Will Brinson, not quite.

In a recent article, Brinson pointed out five key reasons why he believes the GOAT could still make a return to the NFL.

The first, and most far-fetched, clue that Brinson points out is Brady’s underwear photo, which he claims is the quarterback’s way of “begging for attention,” and “flexing his physical condition as a free agent who can be signed by any team.”

Next is Brady’s podcast. Throughout the past week, Brady has been hearing from his “Let’s Go” co-host Jim Gray about how he’s not emotionally of physically able to handle another season of NFL football—which Brady has continued to argue against. According to Brinson, it’s all just a “blatant subconscious attempt to let teams know he’s still ready to go to battle if there’s interest.”

Then there’s Brady’s divorce. Now that the former Buccaneers quarterback doesn’t have to deal with a significant other, Brinson has a hard time believing he’ll just “settle down” and “co-parent.”

The fourth clue is Patrick Mahomes, who Brinson feels could motivate Brady to return if he wins another Super Bowl and Super Bowl MVP honors. That would put the Chiefs’ quarterback on a career trajectory that could seriously threaten Brady’s GOAT status. Could Brady suddenly feel as though he needs to add another ring or two, just to keep Mahomes firmly in his rearview mirror?

And that brings us to Brinson’s fifth and final point: Brady’s intriguing list of options, should he return.

If the seven-time Super Bowl champion does come back, you’d have to think he would only do so for a legit Super Bowl contender… And, wouldn’t you know it? There are actually a few legit contenders who some would argue are “just a quarterback away.”

The first (and most obvious) team that comes to mind is the San Francisco 49ers, who Brady just so happened to root for as a child growing up. The Las Vegas Raiders and Tennessee Titans are a few other possibilities. And then there are long-shots like the Miami Dolphins. Heck, even a return to Tampa Bay wouldn’t be the worst idea, as they’re only a few years removed from a Super Bowl championship of their own with Brady at the helm.

While these are five very intriguing arguments for why we could see Tom Brady return in 2023, the fact of the matter remains that this is still a long-shot. After flip-flopping on last year’s retirement decision, you’d have to assume Brady knew that the next time he made an announcement to hang them up, he’d be met with a ton of scrutiny if he decided not to stick by it.

Regardless of what Patrick Mahomes does on Sunday (and over the coming years), it’ll be tough for him to beat what Tom Brady has accomplished. TB12 has already set the bar awfully high. Coming out of retirement would likely only do him more harm than good…

Just look at how Favre’s never-ending retirement was (and still is) perceived. You think Brady wants that to be part of his legacy?