Tom Brady will not U-turn on his retirement decision this time, says ex-Bucs teammate Tristan Wirfs

Tom Brady will not come out of his second retirement like he did for his first, Bucs teammate Tristan Wirfs has claimed, insisting that the 45-year-old is ‘done for good’ after deciding to call it a day last week. 

Tampa Bay’s offensive tackle also said that he’s not ‘holding out’ hope for the seven-time Super Bowl champion to be in the NFL next season, adding that he’s happy for the quarterback coming to terms with his decision.

‘He gets to ride off into the sunset as the best to ever do it, so it’s pretty cool,’ Wirfs also told the NFL Network. 

Coming into the league as the No. 13 overall pick of the 2020 Draft, the ex-Iowa man has never known any other responsbility in NFL games orther than shielding Brady, who’ll eventually be inducted in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in due time. 

For now, however, Wirfs and the Bucs are simply appreciative for having played with one of the best players of all time. 

Tristan Wirfs, of the Bucs, shared that he isn’t ‘holding out’ on Tom Brady returning to the NFL

The 24-year-old offensive tackle has only played with Brady in his three seasons in the league

‘From what I’ve seen, everybody is really grateful,’ he said from Las Vegas before the Pro Bowl game on Sunday. ‘Grateful to have been able to play with him. He’s the greatest of all time. I was really happy to get to protect him for as long as I did.’

‘I hope I made him proud. I hope I did alright. But I’m just really happy for him.’  

The 24-year-old protected Brady as a rookie starter in 2020 – the year that the Bucs won Super Bowl LV. He was named to his first Pro Bowl that season before being selected again this year despite sitting out four games due to injury. 

In 2021, Wirfs made all First-Team All-Pro too.

‘He has been our identity for a while,’ Wirfs said of Brady’s three-year impact in Tampa Bay

With Brady, Wirfs has been named as a Pro Bowler twice and also has a Super Bowl ring (LV) 

Meanwhile, Brady’s recent retirement has raised a lot of questions on what the future holds for the Bucs as the team made the playoffs in all three of the five-time Super Bowl MVP’s three seasons in the Tampa Bay area. 

After having won his seventh Super Bowl ring, Brady ranked first in the league when it came to passing yards (5,316) and touchdowns (43).  

Many thought the Bucs would go on to win back-to-back Super Bowl titles but the team was eventually beaten by the L.A. Rams in the Divisional Round in 2021.   

Then, Brady and the Bucs struggled through much of 2022 in the serial winner’s only losing season, despite winning the NFC South and playing in one postseason game, a Wild-Card, 31-14 loss to the Dallas Cowboys. 

But, Wirfs is relying on established leaders, such as himself, and others to steer the team in the right direction this upcoming season.

‘He has been our identity for a while,’ Wirfs said of Brady’s impact in Tampa Bay. 

‘Doing our best to create a good, positive culture. Something I always say to all my teammates is we can control our attitude and effort, so I think just coming in with that every day at practice, OTAs, minicamp, training camp. Just doing our best to set ourselves on the right path.’