CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA – OCTOBER 23: Tom Brady #12 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers smiles on the field prior to the game against the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium on October 23, 2022 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
Tom Brady has responded to a report that he may be looking at coming out of retirement for a second time.

As previously noted, Rich Eisen reported on his show that he heard from folks at the NFL Combine that Brady might not be retired from football. Eisen said, “Tom Brady may not be done after all. Couple people are like ‘Just hang on, just you wait.’ I’m like, he’s Instagramming out videos of his cat.”

You didn’t actually think Tom Brady was done, right?

He’s coming back.https://t.co/ZtZT3GzXXE

— TPS (@TotalProSports) March 7, 2023

Well, Brady took a humorous approach to the reports by by suggesting he’s not coming back because of the kitten he recently adopted for his daughter:

It’s not an official statement or confirmation on Brady’s end that he’s staying retired. So let the speculation that he may actually return continue.

It’s easy to believe that Brady may actually come back for a 24th season. His initial retirement in 2022 lasted just 40 days. And though his Tampa Bay Buccaneers greatly underachieved last season, Brady still showed that he can play at a high level.

In his age-45 season, Brady completed 66.8 percent of pass attempts for 4,694 yards and 25 touchdowns against nine interceptions. Those numbers are especially solid when you consider a) the injuries on the Bucs’ o-line and b) the fact they had football’s worst rushing offense of 2022.

Before he retired, Brady was being linked to the Las Vegas Raiders (they released starter Derek Carr) and his childhood team in the San Francisco 49ers. Only time will tell if the seven-time Super Bowl champion is truly, fully committed to staying retired.