There have been many rumors about NFL teams trying to lull Tom Brady out of retirement over the past year. Perhaps the most notable of them came from San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy, who told ESPN earlier this month that head coach Kyle Shanahan informed him this past offseason that he'd be demoted to second string if Brady wanted to play for San Francisco one final season.
While Brady usually elects to not address these rumors, he had no choice but to respond to Purdy's comment when Pat McAfee asked him about it during an episode of "The Pat McAfee Show" on Tuesday.
"Brock Purdy has done a great job and I know he's got a chip on his shoulder..
I have so much respect for the 49ers organization and Kyle Shanahan" @TomBrady #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/jn4HaCuK0c
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) January 30, 2024
"There was a report that Kyle Shanahan potentially tried to lure you out of retirement to come be quarterback. He told Brock Purdy that. ... What are your thoughts on people trying to lure you out of retirement?"
To which Brady responded, "I think, in football, whether you're a free agent ... you can look at everything in football and say, 'What if? What if? What if?' And the reality is I deal with what happened, and the decisions that were made.
"And this last offseason, there was a lot of different things that people would suggest," Brady continued. "But I kind of just kept my mind focused on where I wanted to go, and this was a great year for me to sit back and watch and learn, and get prepared for being in the Fox booth next year."
So although Brady didn't address the Purdy comment directly in his response, it's pretty clear that the 49ers — along with some other teams — did inquire about whether Brady might come out of retirement for one more year.
Brady also made sure to praise Purdy in his response.
"I think Brock has done a great job with the opportunity," Brady said. "He got it, and he has taken advantage of it. ... I know he has a chip on his shoulder, and he wants to go out and prove every day that he's the right fit for that team."
Although people still love to slander Purdy, 49er fans can't complain too much about Brady's decision to remain retired. Purdy's solid performance during Sunday's NFC Championship Game earned San Francisco a chance to win its first Super Bowl since 1994.
Yet, if Purdy underperforms in Super Bowl LVIII, the slander will surely commence once more.
