Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady has officially spent half of their life in the NFL, but retirement is still furthest from his mind. On Thursday, the 45-year-old Brady was informed that he had spent the same number of days in the NFL as he had spent away from the league.
"Wow, that's crazy," Brady told reporters on Thursday regarding the situation, per Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. According to Florio, Brady lived 8,292 days before being drafted by the Patriots in 2000 and another 8,292 days since then. During that span, he played 20 seasons with the New England Patriots, winning six Super Bowl titles, and he is currently in his third season with the Buccaneers, whom he led to a Super Bowl title in his first season.
"It's been a lot of memories and relationships, and I've certainly had my fair share of those," said Brady.
However, when asked about his decision to return, Brady said he was not thinking about it. "Honestly, it's the furthest thing from my mind," the quarterback said, adding he's focused on playing a great game this week against the Carolina Panthers. "I've got to prepare well, and that's what I'm thinking about," added Brady, who will try to fortify the Buccaneer's chances of winning the NFC South with a win over the Panthers.
The Buccaneers (7-8) currently lead the Panthers (6-9) by one game. Per Scott Smith of Buccaneers.com, Brady said the Buccaneers have an opportunity to do something positive and beat the red-hot Panthers, who have won three of their last four outings to remain in the hunt for a postseason berth.
Brady said the Panthers run the ball well and are playing well on defense, so they won't take them for granted.
Brady takes accountability for missed connections with Evans
The relationship between Brady and No. 1 target Mike Evans has been off lately, with the duo connecting on 3 of 8 passes for 29 yards in their 19-16 win over the Arizona Cardinals.
Brady took accountability for that, saying he's got to make better throws to Evans, who is just 83 yards away from clinching his 9th straight 1,000-yard season. "At the end of the day, I've got to do a better job getting him the ball," said Brady. Evans said Brady's return for his 23rd season had given him extra motivation to succeed.
Brady gave veteran rest
On Thursday, Smith reported that Brady had been given his usual veteran rest day while tight end Cade Otton (quadriceps) and outside linebacker Anthony Nelson (illness) have been upgraded to full participation. However, some starters did not participate in practice, including cornerback Carlton Davis III (shoulder) and nose tackle Rakeem Nuñez-Roches (personal).
Among those who were limited in practice were cornerback Jamel Dean (toe), safety Mike Edwards (hamstring), wide receiver Julio Jones (knee), outside linebacker Carl Nassib (pectoral), tackle Donovan Smith (foot), nose tackle Vita Vea (calf), safety Antoine Winfield Jr. (ankle) and tackle Tristan Wirfs (ankle).
