When news leaked on January 29 that Tom Brady was finally set to retire following 22 seasons, many were skeptical and did not believe it would actually happen. Three days later, Brady formally retired as a member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after winning a Super Bowl with them the previous year. Fast forward to this past Sunday, and the 44-year-old quarterback announced he had unfinished business in the NFL and wanted to pursue an eighth Super Bowl ring. Surprised?
These past two months I’ve realized my place is still on the field and not in the stands. That time will come. But it’s not now. I love my teammates, and I love my supportive family. They make it all possible. I’m coming back for my 23rd season in Tampa. Unfinished business LFG pic.twitter.com/U0yhRKVKVm
— Tom Brady (@TomBrady) March 13, 2022
While it may be a little surprising, that news should hardly be shocking, and the odds certainly seem to be in his favor for another run, as online sportsbook Bovada immediately lowered the price on the Buccaneers, making them +750 co-favorites (bet $100 to win $750) with the AFC’s Buffalo Bills to take home the Lombardi Trophy next February 12 in Glendale, Arizona. Ironically, that is the site of one of Brady’s three losses in the big game, with the New York Giants upsetting his former team the New England Patriots the first of two times as double-digit underdogs in Super Bowl XLII.
After seeing Aaron Rodgers return to the Green Bay Packers and Russell Wilson traded to the Denver Broncos since his retirement, it does not take a rocket scientist to figure out why Brady decided to come back for another season. Green Bay (+800) looks to again be Tampa Bay’s main competition for the NFC championship and another trip to the Super Bowl. Other contenders like the defending Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams (+1200), San Francisco 49ers (+1200) and Dallas Cowboys (+2000) are a notch below and do not currently have a future Hall of Famer at QB.
Brady Second Choice to win MVP Now Too
His team may be co-favored to win the Super Bowl with Buffalo, but he will also battle it out with a member of that club for NFL MVP honors next season. Bills quarterback Josh Allen is listed as the +750 favorite earn the award for the first time in his career while Brady is right behind him at +900. It is worth noting that Brady has won MVP three times previously and never a Super Bowl in the same year. In fact, no player has won both in the same season since 1999 (Kurt Warner).
Four more AFC signal callers are near the top of the betting board to win NFL MVP next year, Patrick Mahomes (+1000) of the Kansas City Chiefs, Joe Burrow (+1000) of the Cincinnati Bengals, Wilson (+1200) of the Broncos and Justin Herbert (+1400) of the Los Angeles Chargers. Four-time winner Rodgers (+1200) is also in the mix from the NFC, although no player has ever won the award solely in three consecutive seasons. Former Packer Brett Favre shared his third award with running back Barry Sanders of the Detroit Lions in 1997.
