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Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach and current senior football consultant Bruce Arians said he believes Tom Brady's personal issues led to struggles during his final NFL season.
“Tom wasn’t himself, you know, with all the things that were going on,” Arians said during an appearance on “The Rich Eisen Show.” “And I’ve got to give him all the credit in the world for battling through what he went through last year for his teammates. I think the world of him, but it wasn’t the real Tom Brady out there.”
Brady threw for 4,694 yards, 25 touchdowns and nine interceptions, but the Buccaneers fell to a disappointing 8-9 in his 17 starts, having previously won Super Bowl LV during the quarterback's first season, which was also his first of two with Arians as his head coach. The seven-time Super Bowl champion announced he's "retiring for good" after 23 NFL seasons in a video shared on his official social media accounts on February 1.
Brady had previously announced his retirement last offseason before announcing his decision to return several weeks later. The 45-year-old is set to become FOX Sports' lead NFL analyst beginning after the conclusion of his playing career, but has publicly stated that he won't start until 2024, taking the next year to spend time with his family and prepare for the job.
Brady is the NFL's all-time passing leader for yards and touchdowns, as well as quarterback wins, among numerous other records.