In recent years, August 3 has been a significant date in NFL circles.
That’s the day Tom Brady’s middle finger to Father Time has gotten more and more prominent, as he extended his NFL career to 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, and 45.
Today, he’s 46. Tonight, he’ll officially see the football train leave the station without him, when the Jets and Browns square off in the Hall of Fame game. Will the realization that the football world will keep spinning without him change his position that he’s done?
Most likely, not. He has done nothing to show he’s anything but done with playing pro football.
Things will get interesting if/when a high-end contender loses a starting quarterback to injury. Even then, it would be a major upset at this point if Brady plays — even though he’d instantly be in the upper half (and maybe the top 10) of all quarterbacks.
Instead, he’ll keep himself occupied in other ways. He has announced an investment in Birmingham City FC, and that he’ll be Chairman of the Advisory Board.
He has a pending deal to become a limited partner of the Raiders. The league’s recent rule that players and other employees cannot be given equity in the team complicates that effort, and possibly defeats it.
Regardless, Brady is keeping himself very busy. By next year, his business will include becoming the No. 1 analyst on Fox’s NFL coverage.
For now, he’s 46, he’s good enough to play in the NFL at a high level, and he’s specifically choosing not to do it. Maybe his goal is to have so much going on that he’s never tempted to come back and play.
Maybe, deep down, he’s still tempted to do it.
