When Tom Brady shocked the sports world on Sunday by announcing he would retire from retirement and join the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the upcoming NFL season, one of his biggest cheerleaders was his ex, Bridget Moynahan. “Thank God,” Bridget, 50, captioned her Mar. 13 Instagram post heralding the return of the seven-time Super Bowl champion. “I had no idea what I was going to do with my Sundays. Congratulations [Tom Brady], So proud of you!”
Though it’s been fifteen years since Tom, 44, and Bridget called it quits, the two have maintained a strong relationship since their 2006 breakup, all while raising their son, John “Jack” Moynahan, 14. When Tom announced his retirement at the start of February, Bridget tweeted that she was “so proud” of all he accomplished on the football field. “I know you will do great things,” she added. “Looking forward to the next steps.”
Apparently, the next steps are reporting for spring training. After just 40 days of retirement, Tom announced that he wasn’t done yet. “[Over] these past two months, I’ve realized my place is still on the field and not in the stands,” Tom posted to social media. “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. Unfished business LFG.”
Following Tom’s announcement, his wife, Gisele Bundchen, threw her support behind his chase for one more Super Bowl ring. “Here we go again!” she wrote in the comments section of Tom’s IG post. “Let’s go lovvvey! Let’s go Bucs!”
Tom and the Bucs went into the 2022 NFL Playoffs as the defending Super Bowl champions. However, the team didn’t even make it to the NFC Championship. In an expected early exit, the Bucs lost to the eventual Super Bowl winners, the Los Angeles Rams. In the first days of the NFL offseason, Brady – who has one more year on his contract with the Bus and has constantly said in interviews that he wanted to play football until he was 45 – did what no one thought he would: he walked away.
“I’ve done a lot of reflecting the past week and have asked myself difficult questions,” he posted online. “My teammates, coaches, fellow competitors, and fans deserve 100% of me, but right now, it’s best I leave the field of play to the next generation of dedicated and committed athletes.” However, it seems that Tom has found his commitment and is ready for one more (last?) ride.