Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Montana on Sunday called fellow signal-caller Tom Brady for his decision to hang up his cleats now, adding that there's a huge possibility that the seven-time Super Bowl champion will come back. This was Montana's pronouncement to TMZ Sports during a Fanatics event in Los Angeles on Saturday night. "Look at the team he's got; why would you want to leave that?" said Montana, who was Brady's childhood idol. "I don't think it's done yet. I don't think that's over with," added Montana, saying Brady's heartbreaking loss to the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Divisional Round could fuel him to return to the NFL.
"The way his season ended for him, I would think that with the team he has, give it at least one more shot," the four-time Super Bowl champion said, believing that Brady will play for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers if he decides to return to football. Montana also believes that Brady is still able to play at a high level, based on his performance last season when he led the league in passing yards, passing touchdowns, and completions in the regular season.
During his "Let's Go" podcast, Brady earlier said he would never say never to the possibility of an NFL comeback. However, days after losing to the Rams, the 44-year-old Brady announced his retirement from the NFL after a 22-year stint – 20 seasons with the Patriots and two with the Buccaneers.
Brady won six Super Bowl titles with the Patriots before joining the Buccaneers on a two-year deal worth $50 million. The move paid dividends for Brady as he won his seventh Super Bowl ring after leading the Buccaneers past the Kansas City Chiefs, 31-9, in Super Bowl LV.
Bucs keep the door open for Brady's comeback
Brady can return anytime next season to the Buccaneers as he still has one year remaining in his contract with the team after signing a contract extension last offseason.
According to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, the Buccaneers will keep Brady on the active roster until June 1. Florio said this is a business decision since any more before June 1 could trigger a $32 million cap charge for 2022. After that, they are not required to do anything. The NFL said the Buccaneers could keep Brady on the active roster all year if they opt to, even though he will show up or not.
The move would not cost much for the Buccaneers as Brady has a compensation package of $2.545 million in 2022 and a cap number of $10.545 million. But things could get awkward for the Buccaneers and Brady if the latter suddenly decides to play after the team trades for Russell Wilson or Deshaun Watson. If that happens, the Buccaneers have no other choice but to release Brady, who is currently in Costa Rica for their traditional annual family vacation.
