$15 million of Tom Brady’s $20 million signing bonus due to be paid out Feb. 4

There may be a perfectly good reason why Tom Brady hasn’t officially confirmed he’s retiring from the NFL, despite all indications that he won’t return for a 23rd season.

According to Spotrac, the one-year extension Tom Brady signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last March for the 2022 season included a $20 million signing bonus — with $15 million of it to be paid on Feb. 4, 2022.

Brady, 44, may have already decided to hang up his cleats, but Tampa Bay could reclaim $16 million of the signing bonus if he does retire. Teams can still choose to pay out a player’s full signing bonus.

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If that’s the case, it sheds important new light on the comment from Brady’s agent Don Yee on Saturday: “He knows the realities of the football business and planning calendar as well as anybody, so that should be soon.”

The three-time MVP and seven-time Super Bowl champion set a career high with 5,316 passing yards this season and led the league with 43 touchdown passes before the Buccaneers fell to the Los Angeles Rams in last week’s NFC divisional playoff.

His exit would add to the Buccaneers’ potential offseason losses. Wide receiver Chris Godwin, running back Leonard Fournette, center Ryan Jensen, defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, cornerback Carlton Davis III and tight end Rob Gronkowski are all set to become free agents.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Tom Brady’s $15 million signing bonus pays out Feb. 4, per report