Tom Brady says his thoughts are on Tampa Bay Buccaneers' playoff exit, not own future

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Brady's mother talks about his future after the Bucs are eliminated.

Tom Brady doesn't care about the future after the Rams beat the Buccaneers in the playoffs. 0:40

12:05 AM

Tom Brady said Sunday night that it was too soon for him to think about his future and that his emotions were still tied to the last-second loss to the Los Angeles Rams.

Brady said that he was thinking about the game, which he watched the Bucs fall in the second half. I'm not thinking about anything after five minutes.

Brady's comments came after he heard that the quarterback is undecided about his future, and that he could return for another season. Brady will take time after the season is over to assess how he feels physically and mentally, as well as gauge his family's desires, according to sources.

After Sunday's loss, Brady indicated as much.

Brady, who has one year left on his contract, said they will take it day by day and see where they are at.

When he ran out of the south end zone tunnel at Raymond James Stadium, the seven-time Super Bowl winner was asked if it was the last game of his career.

He said he was thinking about winning. I always go out there and try to win. Give my teammates the best chance to win.

He ran out of weapons to use. No Chris, Antonio, Breshad, or Cyril. Tyler Johnson had a rib injury and Jaelon Darden had a concussion. At one point, Brady had a backup right guard filling in at right tackle, because his backup right tackle suffered an ankle injury, on top of a quad injury.

Brady lost in the divisional round for the fourth time in his career, but he said it was the reality of football. It doesn't feel good to lose any of those games when you're in the final eight, the final four, and the final two, and I have lost each of those stages. There is only one team that is going to be happy. If you are a loser in that game, it all sucks to lose, and it feels good to move on.

There is no timetable for when a discussion with Brady will take place.

"That's up to Tom," he said.

The Bucs don't have a replacement for Brady on their current roster.

Many of the teammates who faced questions about Brady's future acknowledged the reality of the situation.

I know Tom is a competitor. He always says he has something to prove, but what more can he do? He's the best. He's done everything he can. We'll welcome him with open arms if he comes back. We will have to let him decide.

Evans said he wouldn't make a pitch to Brady.

Evans said that he didn't have to say anything to him. He's driven. He knows what he wants. Hopefully we can get him back next year. One of the best teammates and one of the best leaders I've ever seen.

I've said for the last two years that I'm grateful that he came to the area. Nobody knew he was leaving New England. It was a pleasure to play with him.

Brady is one of 24 players scheduled to become unrestricted free agents, including aging veterans who, like Pierre-Paul, have decisions to make.

It's possible that they won't be able to re-sign all 22 starters like they did last year.

It's very difficult. David said that a lot of the guys are on the last year of their contracts. I was the last one to enter the locker room. It was like seeing the look in everyone's eyes. You don't want to go out in that way. The locker room isn't going to be the same next year.

Some people are going to have to move on to a different place after seeing guys go out the way we did. It's going to be difficult because this is the most tight locker room I have ever been a part of. The young guys and the old guys are jelling together. It's like a family atmosphere. We all know that it's going to be different next year, so luckily you build bonds with those guys to wish them well.

Pierre-Paul will have surgery to repair a torn rotator cuff. He didn't know if he wanted to continue playing. We will see after my surgery.

Fournette, who was the fourth overall pick in the draft, was released by the Jacksonville Jaguars before the 2020 season, but he is happy to call himself a Buccane.

The players stayed in the locker room for a long time after the game.

Fournette said to "cherish the relationships that you have with this team." They don't come around that often. One of the best groups of guys and coaching staffs. We didn't want to go out the way we did, but at the end of the day, I'm blessed to be a part of this organization and have guys like Tom Brady and Gronk. It's difficult.