Brady Is ‘Certain’ He Won’t Play Again, Looks Forward to Joining Fox

Amid speculation of his hypothetical return to football, Tom Brady has reiterated that his playing days are over and he will remain retired.

“I’m certain I’m not playing again,” Brady, who turns 46 in August, told Sports Illustrated. “I’m looking forward to my broadcasting job at FOX next year. I’m looking forward to the opportunity ahead with the Raiders, and we’re in the process of that, along with the other different things that I’m a part of professionally and in my personal life.”

The Las Vegas Raiders signed Jimmy Garappolo to a three-year, $67.5 million contract earlier this offseason to be the team’s starting quarterback. Garoppolo recently underwent foot surgery that could sideline him until training camp, fueling speculation that Brady could return to quarterback the team he recently agreed to acquire a minority ownership stake. 

Brady’s deal with Mark Davis to become a part owner of the Raiders won’t be final until NFL owners gather to vote on the transaction. The Las Vegas Review-Journal included Brady as a possibility to fill in for Garoppolo in a piece written May 27, and Hall of Fame quarterback Troy Aikman added fuel to the fire by saying he “wouldn’t rule anything out” when TMZ asked him if he through Brady unretiring to play quarterback for the Raiders was a possibility. 

Instead, Brady is committed to following Aikman into the broadcast booth through the 10-year, $375 million deal with Fox that Brady signed in 2022 before playing his final season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Brady announced his retirement after 23 seasons in February, though he previously retired in Feb. 2022 before unretiring a month later. 

In addition to his FOX deal and Raiders ownership role, Brady has ownership stakes in the WNBA’s Las Vegas Raiders and a Major League Pickleball team.