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Tom Brady expressed gratitude for his Tampa Bay Buccaneers teammates and fans amid the team's recent playoff elimination and ongoing speculation regarding the future of his football career.
"I understand that at this stage in my career, there is going to be interest in my future whenever a season ends, but this week, all that is on my mind is the gratitude I have for this team and the fans that have supported us all year long," Brady shared on his verified social media accounts Tuesday (January 25). "This year has been incredibly rewarding personally and professionally and I am appreciative of everyone who worked their ass off to help our team achieve so much.
"I always want to win, I think that’s pretty apparent by now, but that doesn’t mean I equate losing to failure, especially when you go out fighting the way we did.. There’s so much to appreciate in a season like this when you’re surrounded by a team that believes in each other, and plays for the people standing on either side of them. I’ll spare you the Man in the Arena quote, but that feeling is something that I promise I’ll never take for granted. To everyone that was a part of it this year, thank you. I love you all!"
Brady immediately faced questions about his NFL future after the team's NFC Divisional Round loss to the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday (January 23).
"Truthfully guys, I'm thinking about this game," Brady said after the 30-27 loss, which came on a last-second field goal after the Bucs rallied back from a 27-3 second-half deficit, via ESPN.
On Sunday (January 23), sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter and Jeff Darlington that the 44-year-old quarterback was undecided about his NFL future and planned to take time after the season ends to asses how he feels mentally and physically, as well as his family's desires, before making deciding on his 23rd NFL season.
Brady's postgame comments reiterated that report following the Bucs' elimination loss.
"I haven't put a lot of thought into it, so you know, we will just take it day by day and kind of see where we are at," Brady said.
The seven-time Super Bowl champion has one year remaining on his contract with Tampa Bay, but has hinted at his interest to continue playing in the past.
The Buccaneers finished the 2021 NFL regular season with a 13-4 record, ranking second in the NFC, but were marred with several significant offensive injuries including leading wide receiver Chris Godwin, as well as the late season departure of Antonio Brown.
Tampa Bay dealt with even more injuries during Sunday's game with Tyler Johnson experienced a rib injury and Jaelon Darden suffering a concussion, forcing tight end Cameron Brate to line up as a slot receiver and a backup right guard being snaps at right tackle due to a lack of depth.
"It's the reality of football," said Brady, who lost in the divisional round for just the fourth time in his career. "Every team is really qualified when you get to the final eight, then the final four, then the final two and it doesn't feel good to lose any one of those games, and I have lost each of those stages. So at the end, there is only one team that is going to be happy. It feels good to move on when you move on, and obviously when you don't, whether it was last week or this week or next week, the week after, two weeks after that -- if you are a loser in that game, it all sucks to lose in the end."
Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians said "that's totally up to Tom" when asked about a timetable regarding his quarterback's decision on his NFL future.