San Francisco Frontiers - Brady says family will decide future amid retirement talk

The 44-year-old seven-time Super Bowl champion, widely regarded as the greatest quarterback in NFL history, told his "Let's Go" podcast he will take his time before deciding whether to keep playing.

Brady's bid for an eighth Super Bowl came to an abrupt end on Sunday when Tampa Bay Buccaneers were eliminated from the divisional round after a 30-27 home defeat to the Los Angeles Rams.

Reports emerged over the weekend that Brady was giving serious consideration to retiring after the season, despite having one year left on his contract.

Brady on Sunday said he would consider his future on a "day-by-day" basis. On Monday, he gave a more expansive answer, emphasising his family's wishes would influence his next steps.

"As I've gotten older football is extremely important in my life, and it means a lot to me, and I care a lot about what we're trying to accomplish as a team and I care a lot about my teammates," Brady said.

"The biggest difference now that I'm older is I have kids now, too, you know, and I care about them a lot.

"They've been my biggest supporters. My wife is my biggest supporter. It pains her to see me get hit out there. And she deserves what she needs from me as a husband, and my kids deserve what they need from me as a dad.

- 'Not what I want' -

"I'm gonna spend some time with them and give them what they need, 'cause they've really been giving me what I need the last six months to do what I love to do.

"I said this a few years ago, it's what relationships are all about. It's not always what I want. It's what we want as a family. And I'm gonna spend a lot of time with them and figure out in the future what's next."

Brady has a 14-year-old son with former partner Bridget Moynahan, and two children, aged 12 and nine, with his wife, the supermodel Gisele Bundchen.

Brady has said in previous interviews that Bundchen had urged him to retire, notably after his fifth Super Bowl victory with the New England Patriots in 2017.

After leaving the Patriots and winning a Super Bowl with the Buccaneers last year in his first season with the Florida franchise, Brady revealed his wife asked him after the win: "What more do you have to prove?"

This season, Brady showed no noticeable signs that age was catching up with him, leading the NFL with 43 touchdown passes and 5,316 passing yards, at a career-high average of more than 312 yards per game.

Buccaneers coach Bruce Arians has said he will be "shocked" if Brady does not return for the 2022 season.

Arians said he had not spoken to Brady over his future since Sunday's loss.

"He can take all the time he needs," Arians said.

Brady added he would only play on if he was certain of his own commitment.

"Every year I just have to make sure that I have the ability to commit to what the team really needs, and that's really important to me," he said.

"The team doesn't deserve anything less than my best. And if I feel like I'm not committed to that, or I can't play at a championship level, then you gotta give someone else a chance to play."

E.Cruz--SFF