Three years into retirement, Tom Brady still has one question hanging around that seven Super Bowl rings somehow could not bury: what if he played again? Now, his longtime biographer has dropped a surprising twist into the comeback conversation, suggesting the NFL legend might not be completely done with football just yet.
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Lars Anderson, who wrote “Brady: An American Story and the Price of Greatness,” addressed the possibility directly during an appearance on “Front Office Sports Tonight” with host Bridget Condon. Anderson didn’t hold back when asked whether Brady could still have football left in him.
“I do think that if Tom had his druthers, he would be playing right now, and I would not be shocked if he somehow tries to play next year,” Anderson said on Front Office Sports Tonight.
Anderson’s comments came after Condon asked what regrets Brady might still be carrying from his playing days, a question that led the biographer straight to the one number that got away from the seven-time champion.
“I think he wishes he got number eight. I think he wishes circumstances could have been different and he could have kept playing.”
Anderson painted a specific picture from Brady’s final season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2022, a stretch that coincided with his divorce from model Gisele Bündchen being finalized. He described one moment in particular that stuck with him while researching the book.
“Never in his life had he ever looked so unlike Tom Brady. Then at that moment, this was a picture of a broken man. And that ultimately is the picture that I want [to stick with] readers.”
Pressed further on whether Brady was devastated by the end of his marriage, Anderson chose his words carefully, making clear he never spoke directly with either Brady or Bündchen about the relationship itself.
“He was devastated that she wanted to end their life together, for sure. I try not to traffic in this stuff, and I did not talk to either Tom or Gisele about their marriage, and God, I just can’t tell you how uncomfortable this whole thing makes me, because I certainly wouldn’t want somebody flashing a spotlight on my behavior that caused me to get a divorce when my kids were little.”
Anderson was upfront that Brady’s comeback theory wasn’t based on any inside information or direct conversation with Brady, calling it “pure speculation” when Condon pushed him on the source of his confidence.
Brady’s actual playing résumé is hard to overstate. He retired for good in February 2023 after 23 NFL seasons, finishing as the league’s all-time leader in passing yards with 89,214, passing touchdowns with 649, and completions with 7,753 numbers that remain untouched by any active quarterback. He won seven Super Bowl titles across stints with the New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, more than any player in NFL history.
Since retiring, Brady has built out a second career as FOX’s lead NFL game analyst under a 10-year, $375 million contract, while also stepping into a minority ownership role with the Las Vegas Raiders. That ownership arrangement sets up the single biggest obstacle standing between Anderson’s speculation and any realistic path back to the field, one that goes well beyond simple football logistics.
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Brady has not exactly shut the door on the idea of playing again. During a CNBC interview in March, he acknowledged that he had at least looked into what a return might involve, especially when he is a minority owner of the Raiders.
“I actually have inquired, and they don’t like that idea very much. We explored a lot of different things, and I’m very happily retired. Let me just say that, too.”
Before Brady could seriously consider putting the pads back on, he would have to deal with his ownership stake in the Raiders. Brady and business partner Tom Wagner bought a combined 10% of the franchise for $220 million, a deal unanimously approved by NFL owners in October 2024. Brady’s 5% portion has since been reported to be worth more than $300 million.
On the other hand, league rules already restrict Brady from attending production meetings or accessing team facilities and personnel because of that ownership stake, and actively playing again would require him to divest entirely, since the NFL doesn’t allow active players to simultaneously hold ownership stakes in a franchise.
Brady also turns 49 next August, meaning a 2027 return would have him attempting a comeback at 49 or 50 years old, a scenario with no real precedent at the quarterback position in modern NFL history. Adding to the irony, the Raiders organization, which Brady now partly owns, opened this season 3-0, a hot start that would only intensify scrutiny if its most famous investor ever seriously floated playing against the very league he now has a financial stake in.