Why Tom Brady un-retired: Bucs will be fine and age-45 season may be his best yet, but this was no master plan

Well, that didn’t take long.

Tom Brady is back. It feels almost like he never left. Because, well, his “retirement” lasted all of about 40 days and included more hints and innuendos about coming back to football than anything else. Brady never really went away, appearing on podcasts and maintaining a steady social media presence. And if you saw the interaction between him and fellow GOAT (or GOATish) Cristiano Ronaldo at Manchester United’s match from earlier this weekend, it certainly didn’t look like a man totally at ease with his decision. (And, considering that Man U is owned by the Glazer family, who own the Bucs, one could surmise that Brady may have delivered the message in person, getting assurances about the cast to be put around him.)

As it turns out, Brady clearly was not fully comfortable with walking away. And the NFL is better for it.

Brady had another one of his timeless seasons in 2021. It was a masterpiece even by his impeccable standards. He flirted with 50 touchdown passes. He led the league in passing. He should have been the MVP. He led another ridiculous comeback in the postseason that should have been enough for a win. Would any of us be surprised at this point if his age 45 season isn’t just as remarkable?

I certainly would not. By making this about-face as quickly as he did, Brady can recommit to the schedule and regimen and lifestyle that has fueled this entire ridiculous career of his in the first place. He hasn’t missed a beat. This isn’t him having an epiphany in late July and trying to get in shape and make up for lost time and have to navigate a scenario he has never faced before. This, actually, bodes incredibly well for Brady, and the team he bid adieu to a few weeks back.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will be just fine, thank you. They never closed the door on Brady coming back, with coach Bruce Arians and general manager Jason Licht making it clear they…