Tom Brady Has No Set Return Date For Hiatus From Tampa Bay Buccaneers

It's been a week since it was announced that Tom Brady was taking a leave of absence from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for personal reasons. As the reigning NFC South champs get ready to play their second of three preseason games, it's unknown exactly when Brady will return to the team.

Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles said that Brady would be back with the team after their Week 2 preseason matchup against the Tennessee Titans. On Thursday, Bowles would not give a firm date for Brady's return.

"We'll talk about it next week," Bowles told reporters. "Not concerned about it right now. We're trying to practice against Tennessee and play a game. I said 'sometime after Tennessee.' There's no definitive date for me. But we'll check on it, we'll keep in touch and we'll find out."

Brady's absence and the lack of a hard timeline for his return has raised questions about his availability for the 2022 regular season, particularly because of how the offseason unfolded.

Brady seemingly retired after the Super Bowl, only to announce 40 days later that he was coming back for another season in Tampa Bay. Fox Sports announced that it had signed Brady to be an announcer in his retirement, even though the quarterback plans to play another season.

It was also reported in the offseason that Brady strongly considered the idea of becoming a minority owner of the Miami Dolphins. There's speculation that Brady might've tried to eventually play for the Dolphins.

Bowles passed up the chance to say definitively that Brady would be back for Week 1 of the regular season.

Brady could rejoin the Bucs in time to play in the team's final preseason game. Tampa Bay will visit the Indianapolis Colts on Aug. 27 -- 15 days before opening the season against the Dallas Cowboys.

In Brady's absence, Blaine Gabbert is the Buccaneers' No. 1 quarterback. The veteran completed all five of his pass attempts for 56 yards and a touchdown in a 26-24 loss in Tampa Bay's first exhibition contest. Second-year quarterback Kyle Trask went 25-of-33 for 258 yards, one touchdown and one interception.

A season after winning his fifth Super Bowl MVP award, Brady was the 2021 NFL passing leader. Brady finished second in the regular-season MVP voting with 5,316 yards, 43 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.

The Buccaneers are heavy favorites to win the NFC South, and they have the best Super Bowl odds of any team in the conference.