Tom Brady’s retirement was short-lived. The future Hall of Fame quarterback declared Sunday night, less than 24 hours before NFL free agency began, that he will return to the Buccaneers in 2022. Brady formally announced his retirement on February 1 — three days after the news surfaced. As a result, his retirement lasted only around two months. Brady, who turns 45 in August, began his NFL career in 2000. He played for the Patriots until 2019, then went on to win a Super Bowl with the Buccaneers in 2020. He is now in his third season at Tampa Bay.

The Buccaneers could not defend their Super Bowl championship in 2021, despite going 13-4. They defeated the Eagles in the wild-card round before falling to the Rams – the eventual Super Bowl winners — at home in the divisional round. Brady will look to capture his seventh Super Bowl championship in his 23rd season. He has played in 10 games, losing two to the Giants and one to the Eagles.

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Brady indicated that his first choice to retire was motivated by family obligations. Although he was certain he would stay retired, he chose to stop it early due to free agency activities. “It’s not that I’m not 100 percent devoted; anything’s just that as soon as I commit to doing it, I’m like, ‘Ugh. Okay, let’s get started.’ It’s similar to running a marathon. You can’t decide in two weeks.

Brady informed the reporters that he wasn’t entirely prepared to retire when he made his choice, but he mentioned his obligation to his wife and children. “So the duties include many people taking care of me and things that are incredibly important to me off the field like my family, my kids, and my wife has done a wonderful job of that.” Brady’s decision to come out of retirement occurred following the departure of Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians and the appointment of defensive coordinator Todd Bowles to head coach. Arians won a Super Bowl with the squad in 2021 and now works in the front office.