Buccaneers Legend Tom Brady Contacted NFL About Potential Return

Since retiring in 2022, Tom Brady remains one of the NFL's most notable figures. Building his legacy with the New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers throughout his illustrious career, Brady is still around the game, serving as a partial owner with the Las Vegas Raiders and recently participating in Fanatics' Flag Football Classic earlier this month.

Brady played his last down in the NFL in 2022 for the Buccaneers, but ever since then, rumors of him coming out of retirement have been rampant. They have never materialized, however, and the rumors have died down considerably after Brady became a part-owner of the Raiders — under current NFL rules, that wouldn't be allowed.

That didn't stop Brady from asking, apparently. He told CNBC's Alex Sherman that he asked the NFL if he could still play for the Raiders while serving as a part-owner, and he was told that the league didn't "like that idea very much."

Tom Brady told @sherman4949 that he explored the possibility of coming out of retirement and returning to the NFL, adding that the league did not “like that idea very much.”

More: https://t.co/eeopHpF6p5
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 26, 2026

Tom Brady says he wanted to play for Raiders as part owner

Founders FFC quarterback Tom Brady (12) during the Fanatics Flag Football Classic at BMO stadium. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

This makes sense for a number of reasons. Allowing Brady to be an active player and part-owner would open Pandora's Box and allow other NFL players to seek the same arrangement, which the NFL's other owners certainly wouldn't want. Being able to lure free agents with promises of ownership wouldn't go down well, so Brady's ask was quite a big one.

In Brady's last season with the Bucs, he threw for 4,694 yards, 25 touchdowns and nine interceptions. He had the second-lowest yards per attempt in a full season of his entire career (6.4) during that year, too, so there is the question on whether he was beginning his downward turn due to age when he retired in Tampa Bay. That being said, he was still a desired free agent, and he would have been able to start anywhere in the NFL if he'd wanted in 2023.

Now, though, Brady remains happily retired. The value in being a part-owner is far superior to being a player, and his goal is now to help dig the Raiders out of a hole they've been in since losing the Super Bowl to the Buccaneers in 2002. On top of that, Brady is also a broadcaster for FOX Sports, so he's still around the game constantly as he travels around the league to call games from the booth.

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