Tom Brady Reveals 'Retirement Surprise!' Another Patriots Tease - Or Joke - From the GOAT?

Tom Brady Reveals 'Retirement Surprise!' Another New England Patriots Tease - Or Joke - From the GOAT?

Tom Brady's greatness as an NFL player will never be denied.

But the New England Patriots' legendary GOAT quarterback's greatness as a post-retirement tease? Or prankster? Or flip-flopper?

That continues to come across as, surprisingly, something less than dignified.

Brady, 45, has now "retired'' ... how many times? We are starting to lose count? Not quite as many times as he owns Super Bowl rings - but keep it up and the race will be close.

Brady did already come out of retirement once, for one last go of it with the Tampa Bay Bucs. Between now and then there have been flirtations and rumors. Play QB while also be an owner of the Las Vegas Raiders? Do that same (fairly ridiculous) double-job with the Miami Dolphins?

Come back and re-join the Bucs? Sign on with the Jets? Or the Browns?

Come home to Foxboro and rescue the sagging legacy of coach Bill Belichick?

Or just be silly and keep teasing the audience about it, as his recent Instagram post seems to exist as something to be taken as other than face value.

The legendary NFL quarterback said on Sunday morning - perhaps in a joking manner - that he was planning on coming out of retirement in 2023.

Hooray! (We think.) What went wrong? What could possible sidetrack this strong-minded and strong-willed force of nature to retire from the idea of being retired and again un-retire?

"The only downside to 2023,'' Brady writes, "was when I was about to un-retire in May and my friends threw a surprise retirement party. Kind of forced my hand 😂.''

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Is Brady joking here? The crying-laughing emoji might suggest that. Or the emoji might represent sincerity about the intention, but a giggle about a truth that kept it from happening.

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This we think we know: As Tom Brady navigates his way through his post-playing career, he seems to be having a ball being a doting father and being an eligible bachelor. And he's also having some fun "on stage,'' leaving you crying, laughing and wondering.