Tom Brady, quarterback (QB) of the National Football League's (NFL's) Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who first announced retirement in February and then confirmed to return in March, revealed he decided to come back after feeling pressure from free agency signings.

"It's like running a marathon. You can't decide two weeks before the marathon, 'Hey, I'm going to start running.' We got right to free agency and I felt some pressure to do it and talked to the team and organization, and it all worked out," Brady said on TNT on Thursday.

Brady will turn 45 years old in August and has won the league-most seven Super Bowl titles after playing 22 seasons. In his second season in the Buccaneers, he passed 485-for-719 for career-high 5,316 yards and 43 touchdowns (TDs) with six interceptions. His team finished the regular season 13-4 to top the National Football Conference (NFC) South.

The Buccaneers lost to the Los Angeles Rams 30-27 in the NFC Divisional Game at home before the Rams went all their way to Super Bowl VI and win the title.

"I think, when you're their [Patrick Mahomes' and Josh Allen's] age, if you were to ask me, 'Are you going to play football next year?' I would say there's a 100-percent chance I'm playing. And I think as I've gotten older, that's changed because I have other responsibilities," Brady said.

A series of blockbuster trades and major signings happened in the NFL during the offseason for teams to either keep their aces or enhance their squads. For example, Aaron Rodgers agreed to extension to stay in the Green Bay Packers. So did Derek Carr with the Las Vegas Raiders. The Miami Dolphins traded heavily for future hall of famer wide receiver Tyreek Hill. The Tennessee Titans shipped Julio Jones. Deshaun Watson joined the Cleveland Browns on a historic deal for five years and $230 million.

The 2022-23 NFL season will begin on September 8.