Even Tom Brady, the NFL's "strongest brain," doesn't know what to do with the decision to retire or continue to fight.
On March 14, Beijing time, Brady spoke out through social media, saying, "In the past two months, I realized that I should stand on the field, not sit in the audience." I'll retire, but not now. I love my teammates and the family members who support me and they make it all possible. I will start my 23rd season in Tampa Bay to complete my unfinished business. ”
According to NFL Network reporter Tom Pelissero, Brady signed a one-year, $10.4 million contract with the Tampa Bay Pirates.
Brady's sudden comeback quickly became the focus of public opinion in sports circles, just as he announced his retirement via social media 40 days ago. Some American netizens used hot spots to complain: "Seeing 7.9% inflation and record high oil prices, even Brady wants to continue to work." ”
At the 2000 NFL Draft, Brady was selected by the New England Patriots with the 199th pick in the 6th round. In the next 22 years, Brady won the Super Bowl 7 times, won the Super Bowl MVP five times, and set countless records in terms of personal data, which can be called the "Jordan" of rugby.
When a superstar chooses to leave, it naturally attracts much attention from the outside world. According to the statistics of the social media data analysis platform Epilifi, on the day Brady announced his retirement, the number of its Instagram followers increased by 215,000 a day, and the retired Instagram also received 4.2 million interactions, both of which were far more than usual.
For a star of Brady's level, it is not necessary to hype up retirement. This time only 40 days to "repent" comeback, may also be recently seen the veterans crazy performance, a little can't sit still.
On March 13, Brady watched United's match against Tottenham Hotspur live, and the 37-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo scored a hat-trick to help the team win. After the game, the two also had some exchanges, C Ronaldo gave his hat-trick jersey to Brady's son, he asked the other party whether he really hung up his boots, Brady hesitated, and then squeezed out a "maybe."
It is worth mentioning that both Manchester United and the Pirates belong to the Glazer family. Brady watched the Manchester United game and then announced his return to the Pirates, making this connection even more interesting.
Not only Cristiano Ronaldo, 38-year-old LeBron James contributed 50+ points twice last week, also setting a string of records. After Brady announced his comeback, James scored his 10,000th assist of his career against the Phoenix Suns, becoming the only player in NBA history to have 30,000 points, 10,000 rebounds and 10,000 assists.
In an exchange with Ballsack Sports, Brady told the story of James persuading him to return: "James has messaged me that we are all the best players in the history of our respective sports. The next day he scored 54 points or what, and then I messaged him and said, 'Okay, I'm coming back.'" ”
In fact, regarding the decision to retire, Brady and the Pirates have not fully said that they are dead.
After Brady decided to return, Pirates general manager Jason Licht revealed in the team statement: "The head coach and I have been talking to Brady a lot lately, and that makes us believe that he is likely to come back. "That's probably why the Pirates have been slow to remove Brady from the squad. According to NFL regulations, as long as the team moves him to the reserve/retirement list by June 1, it will not occupy the salary cap, which also gives the Pirates time to retain Brady.
In addition, Brady has also said through his own podcast show that he is satisfied with the decision to retire, but what will happen in the future is still unknown. From the above statement, it can be seen that Brady's retirement decision is actually not so resolute, which is not unrelated to the previous retirement "farce".
On Jan. 30, ESPN was the first to report that Brady could announce his retirement decision within days or weeks after losing to the Los Angeles Rams. Subsequently, the company's official Twitter account issued a suspected retirement declaration. As soon as the news came out, it quickly aroused the attention of public opinion. Subsequently, Brady said that he had not made a final decision, and his agent said that only Brady himself could fully and accurately explain his plan.
"Only Brady can turn the decision to retire into a big play not to be missed." The Associated Press wrote in the report.
A series of reports and remarks pushed Brady further to the cusp of public opinion, forcing him to make a decision as soon as possible. Therefore, Brady's previous announcement of retirement may also be reluctant.
On Feb. 1, Brady responded formally, saying, "I love my NFL career, but it's time to put my energy and time into other things that need my attention." ”
On the other hand, before retiring, the 44-year-old "old" Brady still sent 50 touchdown passes and helped the team reach the National League final, and the oil in the fuel tank was also an important reason for his reluctance to retire. Coupled with the fact that the free market is close to opening, if Brady wants to return, he must make a decision as soon as possible.
From March 15, NFL teams can start to contact free agents, and they can officially sign on March 17. Brady announced his return the day before the free market opened, leaving room for the Pirates' subsequent plans and operations. But the Pirates' current salary has exceeded the salary cap of $11 million, and it remains to be seen whether brady will return to spend money and impact the championship.
This is also a manifestation of star privilege. The whereabouts of top stars tend to influence how teams operate on the free market. When James transferred twice that year, the free market basically did not have many trades, and many teams were waiting for his final decision before making plans.
In any case, Brady chose to make a comeback, and the fans were happy to see it. But for an auction buyer, the mood is a bit mixed.
In the 2022 NFL Nations League Final, Brady's pass helped Mike Evans complete the touchdown, before Evans threw the rugby into the stands. After Brady retired, the rugby became his last touchdown pass, and the value skyrocketed. At an auction the day before Brady's official comeback, the ball started at $100,000, with 23 bids, and sold for $518,000.
Despite the "oolong", Brady's commercial value and appeal are beyond doubt. According to Forbes' previous statistics, Brady is already the most profitable player in the history of the NFL, with nearly $450 million in on-court and off-court revenue.
And in recent years, Brady has also had a number of layouts in business. In addition to the nutrition brand TB12, which he founded in 2013, Brady has also founded media company 199 Productions, NFT platform Autograph and sportswear brand The Brady in the past two years.
On January 20, 2022, Autograph raised $170 million in Series B funding, led by venture capital firms Andreessen Horowitz and Kleiner Perkins. The platform has partnered with golf star Tiger Woods, USA gymnast Simone Biles and women's tennis star Naomi Osaka.
As for The Brady, they also signed a number of college athletes early in the line, including Cade McNamara, a quarterback from the University of Michigan, Brady's alma mater, and Patrick Zahraj, a UCLA player.
But with Brady's comeback, his business plans may have slowed down again. Of course, in this regard, he can still consult with C Ronaldo and James, and even compare and compete.
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