The athlete retired in February after 23 seasons in the NFL
PHOTO:
JON KOPALOFF/GETTY IMAGES
Tom Brady has football on his mind.
The retired quarterback, 46, shared a post on his Instagram Story Saturday, in which he could be seen shirtless as he jokingly contemplated an NFL return.
“Side effects of @tb12sports protein … mid august rolls around and you start thinking about finding a training camp to show up to,” Brady wrote with the image, adding two laughing emojis.
The athlete initially announced he would be retiring from the NFL in February 2022, before he backtracked the following month and said he would be unretiring. He then played his last NFL season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, officially retiring this past February.
Brady was drafted by the New England Patriots in 2000, and spent the first 20 seasons of his career with the team, winning six Super Bowls.
His last two seasons in the NFL were played with the Buccaneers, who Brady led to his seventh Super Bowl victory in 2021.
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Tom Brady Says He’s Retiring ‘for Good’ After 23 Seasons in the NFL in Emotional Video
Brady announced that he was retiring “for good” in a video shared on Instagram in February.
“I’m retiring. For good. I know the process was a pretty big deal last time, so when I woke up this morning I figured I’d just press record, and let you guys know first,” an emotional Brady began.
“It won’t be long-winded, you only get one super-emotional retirement essay, and I used mine up last year, so. I … really thank you guys … so much,” he continued. “To every single one of you, for supporting me, my family, my friends, teammates, my competitors. I could go on forever. There’s too many. Thank you guys for allowing me to live my absolute dream.”
“I wouldn’t change a thing. Love you all,” Brady concluded.
Tom Brady ‘Still Wants to Maintain’ His NFL Diet: ‘What I Put in My Body Is Very Important’ (Exclusive)
Brady — a busy father of three kids, who has been spending his post-retirement time on other sports like golf and pickleball — recently told PEOPLE that his “love” of being “very active” is the reason he continues to consume a diet similar to one he had during his playing days.
“I think what I put in my body is very important,” he said in June.
Brady has been known to steer clear of specific food groupings like white sugar, dairy, white flour, iodized salt and caffeine, and he’s also avoided nightshade vegetables and strawberries.
“I don’t think it’s a strict regimen,” he explained to PEOPLE. “I think it’s just trying to make healthy choices that allow me to live the life I want to live.”
And while Brady said that his adherence to a healthy diet was essential when he was professionally playing football because “my body was my asset,” he admitted “it’s a little different now” that he’s retired.
Brady noted, however, “I still want to maintain,” adding, “I’ve developed so many healthy habits, I just want to stick with them.”
