Tom Brady is retired from the NFL. Everyone is trying to figure out if the future Hall of Fame quarterback will remain retired. Some feel Brady could be maneuvering to join the team he cheered for growing up—the San Francisco 49ers. Others think the 44-year-old quarterback could decide later in the offseason that maybe he misses the game a little too much.
49ers safety Jimmie Ward, answering questions from fans on Instagram Live, weighed in on the Brady-to-49ers speculation (h/t @TheSFNiners_). He, like many fans, feels the media is overblowing the story for headlines.
"I think some of the media is just using that for a story," Ward said. "I don't think Tom Brady is coming out of retirement."
That's not to say that Ward feels Brady is incapable of still playing at a high level. He just doesn't feel as strongly as others, like Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, that Brady will start Week 1 of the 2022 season in red and gold.
"I'm saying, it doesn't sound crazy, Tom Brady coming out of retirement to play one more year, but I don't know," Ward continued. "Didn't he come out with his speech, his retirement speech already? So, I don't know, man. I don't know, bro.
"Tom Brady, I'm not saying he can't do it. I feel like he can. He's proven it, that he can go to another franchise, and win a Super Bowl that year. ... But since he retired, I feel like that's sort of the same situation with Kobe Bryant. When he retired from the Lakers, all the media kept saying, 'Oh yeah, Kobe said he's not done. He's going to come back and play with LeBron [James].' But he never came back. He was retired. RIP."