3 reasons why 49ers won’t trade for Tom Brady this offseason

No. 3: Tom Brady doesn’t want to ‘un-retire’ and join 49ers

There’s a pretty big X-factor at play here when combing through all the speculative analysis on why Tom Brady would want to join San Francisco.

Does he even want to come out of retirement?

Of course, Brady’s announcement and subsequent explanation left room for him to return to the NFL for one more season, and his comments on the Let’s Go Podcast (h/t ESPN) only served to reinforce the rumor mill:

"I’m just going to take things as they come. I think that’s the best way to put it, and I don’t think anything, you know, you never say never. At the same time, I know that … I feel very good about my decision. I don’t know how I’ll feel six months from now."

“Never say never.” Thank you, Tom.

Brady also cited his family as a primary reason why he wants to step away from the NFL for good. Perhaps he gets itchy for a return, which is always plausible. Yet the pull from his family to stay away from the league, including the 49ers, would ultimately be the deciding line between the rumors potentially coming true or being little more than the kind of speculation that dominates most offseasons anyway.

There’s one person who can officially pull the plug on these rumors continuing, and that person is Brady. If he doesn’t want to un-retire, he won’t.

Even if he does, though, it’s not as automatic as Brady simply signing with the Niners.