Former teammate addresses issues Tom Brady dealt with in final season

Logan Ryan is the latest in-the-know individual to acknowledge the 2022 NFL season was anything but typical for former Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady. 

"But I think just knowing how he was interacting with his family, his kids, in terms of really wanting to spend time with his kids and be there with his kids, that was a little different," Ryan said during an appearance on "The Herd with Colin Cowherd" program about Brady's 2022 campaign, per the JoeBucsFan website. "Because his kids were older. I think the stuff that was going on off the field, and on the field I think was weighing on him a little bit, as obviously, we’re all humans."

Ryan and Brady shared rosters as members of the New England Patriots and Buccaneers. The safety initially signed with Tampa Bay not long after the seven-time Super Bowl champion ended a short-lived retirement in March 2022, and Ryan couldn't have guessed at that time that Brady would take an 11-day break away from the Buccaneers during the preseason and ultimately announce following a Week 8 loss to the Baltimore Ravens that he and Gisele Bündchen had finalized their divorce after 13 years of marriage. 

Brady's off-the-field issues impacted his physical appearance and reportedly was such a "traumatizing" experience that some associated with the Buccaneers worried about his overall well-being. As it pertains just to football, veteran defensive end William Gholston said this past winter he believed the 2022 Buccaneers lacked the proper "mindset and mentality" to compete for a title. Senior adviser Bruce Arians subsequently claimed Tampa Bay didn't have "the real Tom Brady" last season, and cornerback Sean Murphy-Bunting more recently noted how leaving the Bucs this offseason for the Tennessee Titans allowed him to avoid certain distractions related to having "a bunch of cameras around" during workouts and practices. 

Ryan told Cowherd he knew Brady would take "some type of break" after last season but added that the future Hall of Famer wouldn't say whether or not he could return to an active roster. Brady insists he's retired for good this time around, but NFL insiders such as Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio continue to suggest TB12 could change his mind about that decision at some point this summer or fall.