Tom Brady retirement odds: Bucs quarterback heavily favored to return for 2022 NFL season following playoff loss vs. Rams

Once again there will be no repeat Super Bowl champion after Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were beaten 30-27 at home by the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday in the NFC Divisional Round. Brady has been noncommittal about playing next season, but SportsLine oddsmakers heavily favor that he will return for a 23rd campaign.

"I haven't put a lot of thought into it, so we'll just take it day by day and kind of see where we're at," Brady said Sunday night. He finished 30-of-54 for 329 yards, one touchdown pass and one interception and was under siege all game with his offensive line banged up. Of the 11 previous defending Super Bowl champions who played in the Wild-Card round the next season (which Tampa also did), none advanced past the Divisional round.

"That's up to Tom, just like all veteran players," Coach Bruce Arians said of Brady's potential retirement.

With Green Bay's upset loss Saturday vs. the Niners, the Bucs would have hosted the NFC Championship Game had they beaten the Rams, who now will host it and could become the second straight club to play in a Super Bowl in its own stadium. The only other time both of the NFC's No. 1 and No. 2 seeds were eliminated in the divisional round was 2008. It will be the first time since the 2009 season that neither Brady nor Aaron Rodgers will be in the conference championship games.

Some thought it possible that TB12 might have retired if the Bucs had repeated and he won an eighth Super Bowl ring – retire on top like John Elway did. After Sunday's loss? Brady is surely too competitive to have that as the final game on his resume. A friend of mine Luke Easterling covers the Bucs for Bucswire and he said this about Brady's potential retirement: "Not a chance."

ESPN reported before the game that the 44-year-old plans to take perhaps a month or longer to assess how he feels physically and mentally while also gauging his family's desires. Brady does have one year left on his contract for what that matters (not much).

Tampa Bay certainly will be good enough to contend again next season, and a lot of free-agent veterans who are ring-chasing are likely to head to Tampa to play with Brady. The only other quarterbacks on the Tampa Bay roster as of Sunday were journeyman Blaine Gabbert and 2021 second-round draft pick Kyle Trask. Rob Gronkowski's contract is up but he'll probably go another year if Brady does.

Below are the Bucs' 2022 opponents – they get a rematch against the Rams and Brady (again, presuming) will match up with Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs for perhaps the last time.

Home: Packers, Chiefs, Rams, Bengals, Seahawks, Ravens, Panthers, Saints and Falcons

Away: Cardinals, 49ers, Steelers, Browns, Saints, Falcons, Panthers and Cowboys

Via SportsLine oddsmakers: Will Tom Brady retire this offseason?

• No -700
• Yes +550

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