NFL Rumors: Why Insiders Think Tom Brady Could Play For 49ers Despite Retirement

Tom Brady is officially retired, but some NFL pundits and insiders are not buying it.

ProFootballTalk's Mike Florio, who penned the forthcoming book "Playmakers: How the NFL Really Works (And Doesn't)," recently weighed in on rumors that the seven-time Super Bowl champion could join his hometown team, the San Francisco 49ers.

"I've come to the conclusion that Tom Brady has retired from the Buccaneers -- not from football. He is trying to gracefully exit from Tampa Bay even though he's under contract for one more year," Florio said during an interview on 95.7 The Game's "The Morning Roast."

"People say, 'What else does Brady have to accomplish?' Well, he's never played for the team he grew up rooting for. That’s got a strong psychological and emotional hold on anyone," he added.

Florio may have valid arguments, but there are complications. For one, the five-time Super Bowl MVP is still under contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

TBuccaneers coach Bruce Arians recently made it clear that they have no intention of accommodating Brady if he wishes to play for another team, saying it would be "bad business" for the Bucs.

Arians was also asked what it would take for them to allow Brady to play for another team, and he said, "Five No. 1s. Maybe."

Despite the speculations, Arians said Tuesday from the NFL Scouting Combine that he believes Brady has no plans of coming out of retirement anytime soon.

“He slammed it shut when I talked to him,” Arians stated.

Brady, however, recently gave give cryptic responses about his playing future amid speculation that he'll return for the 2022 NFL season.

When asked where he's "going" during an interview on Fred Couples' podcast, Brady said he wished he had a "clear vision of what the future holds."

"I think for me, there's a lot of great things and a lot of great opportunities that I know I said right after football season I was looking forward to spending time with my family. And I've done that the last five weeks. And I know there'll be a lot more of that too," he explained.

Brady continued, "I like staying busy, that's for sure. I played a little bit of golf and I’m actually going to see my parents tonight, which will be a real highlight for me on their turf. I'll be sleeping in the same bed I slept at when I was a kid. I don’t think my mom knows I’m coming home yet. So it’s just between my dad and I, it is a little bit of a surprise. So looking forward to some golf in the next few days and some more family time, and then we’ll figure out where we go from there."

Earlier this month, the 44-year-old also said "never say never" when asked about potentially returning to the NFL next season on his "Let's Go!" podcast despite sharing that he is "happy" with his decision to retire and is looking forward to "doing things other than playing" football.