Tom Brady confirmed on Tuesday that he is “unretiring” to play in a flag football tournament in Saudi Arabia next year. The GOAT’s return to action comes a good two years after his second retirement. The event, named The Fanatics Flag Football Classic, will see TB12 reunite with Rob Gronkowski on the field.
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There is added significance since flag football will be part of the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. That perhaps explains why many active stars, including Saquon Barkley, CeeDee Lamb, Christian McCaffrey, Sauce Gardner, Myles Garrett, Brock Bowers, Maxx Crosby, Tyreek Hill, and Odell Beckham Jr., are taking part in the tournament.
But can we expect Brady to return to the NFL this season? Michael Jordan, a GOAT much like Brady, albeit in basketball, unretired twice after two of his three official retirements from the NBA. So there is precedence. However, at 48, age is not on Brady’s side. But quality is, believes Gronk.
While appearing on Kay Adams’ podcast, Gronk was asked where he would rank Brady if he were playing in the NFL right now. Before answering, the former Patriots TE explained why Brady is no longer playing in the league: He doesn’t want to get hit anymore at this age.
“I would just say if Tom could not be hit at all, that’s probably why he is not playing anymore. Because you know, 48 years old, you get hit by a D-lineman that’s 23 years old,” Gronk said.
Well, the stats provide the full picture of how much Brady has endured in his career. The seven-time Super Bowl champion was sacked 565 times in 335 games as a quarterback, which accounts for a 4.48% sack rate. Brady had once revealed on the IMPAULSIVE podcast the players he was “afraid” to get hit by: Ray Lewis and Ndamukong Suh.
After reiterating Brady’s aversion to getting hit, Gronk spoke at length about where the 48-year-old QB would rank in today’s NFL amid the rising competition.
“If he could not be hit at all, say he knew he was going to have a clean pocket every single time he stepped up, and he was playing in the NFL, I would say he’d be better than probably 20 of the starting quarterbacks right now, easily. He would be top 12. He would be top 12 right now,” Gronk elaborated.
At present, 41-year-old Aaron Rodgers is the oldest QB in the NFL. Brady, who won a Super Bowl in his 40s, retired in 2023 at 45. With injuries to several starting QBs like Joe Burrow and Brock Purdy, fans are still talking about Brady possibly unretiring for the NFL.
However, it remains unlikely, as he has already “moved on” and has multiple roles as the Fox lead analyst and a minority owner of the Raiders, and other business interests. The flag football adventure is more likely a one-off. And yes, Brady won’t take a hit there.
The bottom line remains, too: Brady’s name will still reverberate on the field, whether he plays or not.
