Tom Brady’s Biographer Revives NFL Comeback Talk With 2027 Prediction

Tom Brady's playing career ended in 2023, but the idea of seeing him under center again has not completely gone. His biographer, Lars Anderson, suggested that he would not be shocked if Brady tried to return to the NFL in 2027. Anderson linked the possibility to Brady's own desire to keep playing, though he stressed that his view was only speculation. The idea became more interesting because Brady had previously admitted that he had asked about what a comeback could involve.

What could bring Tom Brady back to the NFL?

Anderson raised the comeback question during an appearance on Front Office Sports Tonight with Bridget Condon. When asked about Brady's possible regrets, the author pointed to the eighth Super Bowl ring that the quarterback never won.

“I think he wishes he got number eight,” Anderson said. “I think he wishes circumstances could have been different and he could have kept playing.”

Anderson then recalled Brady's final season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2022, when his divorce from Gisele Bündchen was finalized. He said Brady looked unlike himself at one point of that season. “Never in his life had he ever looked so unlike Tom Brady,” Anderson said.

He later said he believed Brady would prefer to be playing now and added that he would not be shocked by a 2027 return. However, Anderson made clear that he had not discussed the matter with Brady and called his comeback theory “pure speculation.”

Tom Brady's path back to the NFL

A return would not be as simple as Brady deciding to play again. The seven-time Super Bowl champion owns a minority stake in the Las Vegas Raiders, and that would have to be addressed before he could return as an active player.

Brady and Tom Wagner bought a combined 10% stake in the Raiders, with Brady holding 5%. NFL rules prevent an active player from owning a stake in a franchise, meaning Brady would need to give up that stake if he pursued a comeback.

Brady had previously acknowledged that he had looked into the possibility. During a CNBC interview in March, he said, “I actually have inquired,” before adding that he was “very happily retired.”

The timing would make the idea even more unusual. Brady would turn 50 in August 2027, while his last NFL appearance came in the 2022 season. He had since moved into his role as Fox's lead NFL game analyst, leaving Anderson's comments as speculation rather than confirmation of any planned return.