Antoine Winfield Jr. Is Not Ruling Out A Tom Brady Return

Antoine Winfield Jr. is a franchise player for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. This much has been affirmed as he was featured in the team’s creamsicle uniform unveiling video earlier this week. With his status as a player clearly defined, his words carry plenty of weight.

This is why that – on the same day as the uniform reveal – his interview with Richard Sherman on the Richard Sherman Podcast is intriguing for what he had to say on various topics. Chatting with his former Bucs teammate, Winfield talked about the chances of Tom Brady coming out of retirement (again) to play in Tampa Bay, the team’s Super Bowl season during his rookie year, and the infamous “peace sign” to Tyreek Hill. It is definitely worth a watch.

Antoine Winfield Jr. Discusses Possibility Of Tom Brady Returning

Coming into this season, many eyes are directed toward the Bucs’ quarterback competition. After replacing Tom Brady for one of either Baker Mayfield or Kyle Trask, projections of the team have tumbled from Super Bowl contender to bottom-feeder.

But what if Tom Brady returned?

Let’s be clear, Bucs fans: Tom Brady has shown no indications of rescinding his retirement. Although he came back after a 40-day trial of retirement to play last season, there is less than a 1% chance of it happening again.

However, Antoine Winfield Jr. added some fuel to the fire for those that have speculated on the GOAT returning to the gridiron.

“You know what, when he first said he retired, I really thought he was done – I thought he was done, and then he surprised me when he came back,” Winfield said. “I don’t know, to be honest, I don’t know with him. Because he might be like, ‘Man, that’s it. I had enough of a break; I’m trying to come back and play,’ so I really don’t know to be honest with you.” 

While no one expected Brady’s NFL return the first time, Winfield’s next statement alludes to the possibility of it occurring for a second time.

“I’m sure we are still reaching out to him, trying to see if he’s trying to come back to the team. So hey, it could happen; anything’s possible.”

Keeping the door open was critical in the Bucs luring him back last spring, with general manager Jason Licht staying in communication with TB12 after the season.

“I think with Tom Brady, I personally never want to completely close the door,” Licht said back in February 2022. “Now, I don’t have any information that suggests that he is going to come back. I’m very good friends with him. We talk, [but] we haven’t talked about that. Don’t want to apply any pressure in that regard right now. But he’s Tom Brady. If Tom Brady wants to come back, we’d welcome him back.”

Fast forward to this February, Licht reaffirmed a light is still on, albeit a lot dimmer. “Before [Brady’s return] last year, I said I’d leave the light on. Maybe it’s a flashlight [this year]. I don’t know.”

While the Bucs have marched forward with Baker Mayfield and Kyle Trask, a hypothetical Brady return would definitely shake up Tampa Bay like a hurricane or an old-school Mike Alstott run up the middle.

Still, the main focus for the franchise is seeing how the quarterback competition pans out with who is on the roster. What did Winfield have to say about his current quarterbacks?

“For both of them, they’re still competing for that spot. It’s gonna be interesting to see how they do during this camp because it’s up in the air. It’s really 50/50 between those two guys. We are going to grind it out in camp, and we got to go with our best. The best person to give us a chance to win these games. So, 50/50.”

Early indications have Mayfield ahead of Trask, but there is still a lot of offseason buildup still to get through. From training camp to the preseason games, each has plenty to prove in being worthy of filling the biggest of shoes.

Ironically, the only guy that will ever fit them is still making headlines on if he will decide to lace them up once again.

Antoine Winfield Jr. Learned A Lot From Wild Rookie Year

Whoever leads the offense onto the field for the Bucs at quarterback in Week 1 has been a heavily-debated and speculative topic since the final snap of the Bucs-Cowboys Wild Card game back in January.

What gets lost is what the franchise gained by adding various pieces to supplement what became the Super Bowl-winning core in 2020. Many players remain, including Antoine Winfield. Drafted before that season, it was a one-of-a-kind year for him. A wild year that no one – not even his NFL-playing father – could prepare him for.

“It’s interesting because my father played for 14 years, and I watched him play, and he pretty much told me what to expect. What he didn’t tell me what to expect is how it would be – first off, coming in COVID year. That was like – that year was insane. Having no fans in the stadium and going through with no preseason, just straight to the games. That was something that you couldn’t really prepare for. 

“And then coming in, I got all these guys on my team – got Tom Brady, I got Gronk, AB – all these guys that I grew up watching, and they all just came on the same team. It was just a weird feeling. I was like, ‘Dang, all these guys my teammates,’ and you [Sherman] come on the team [in 2021]. ‘Dang, Sherman’s my teammate, that’s crazy.’ Watching all these guys, it was insane to be able to play with all these great players, and it was just fun to have them around to watch how everybody played and how everybody prepared.”

It was more than just the Super Bowl victory over the Chiefs that made that year so revered by Bucs fans. It was also the boat parade that followed, which is always worth re-watching. Few title celebrations are as memorable, and it is no surprise that Winfield wants to help recreate it.

“It was awesome. The parade was amazing from what I can remember. Yeah, we had a great time out there. We partied for sure, but we had all these boats on the water, and we were just cruising through, and then everybody had their boats here and there.

“There were fans all on the sides, or they had their boats out there, and I just remember going through and everybody was cheering and things like that. It was obviously great to see that my rookie year, and you know, still trying to get back to that moment, but it was fun.”

Antoine Winfield Jr. Discusses Infamous Tyreek Hill “Peace Sign” Gesture

Another infamous moment from Winfield’s rookie year was not a play he made, but rather a gesture. Giving the “peace sign” to Tyreek Hill in the fourth quarter of the Super Bowl.

While he picked off Patrick Mahomes during the game, more fans probably remember him taunting Hill.

It was retaliation for Hill torching the Bucs in Week 12 earlier that year when he caught 13 passes for 269 yards and three touchdowns. It was a different story in the big game, one that Winfield is not afraid to tell.

“It’s all love, man. It’s all love. Doing it – I actually didn’t think it was going to be something crazy because he does that every time he scores. So it was just like, during the regular season, they killed us. He had like three touchdowns, 200 yards, or something like that. 

“Leading up to the Super Bowl, all they played were the highlights from that game, and it was over and over again every time you saw it on ESPN. It was just like, I gotta do something. I didn’t know when it was gonna happen or when it was gonna come, but the opportunity presented itself, and it was a perfect opportunity to hit him back with a peace sign, and now it kind of stuck around here.”

Steering the pirate ship back on its current course, Winfield’s focus is on 2023. While the peace sign has stuck around, balling out in his contract year will likely help his case to stick around in Tampa Bay for far longer. While football is not being played right now, very soon it will be. Then, it’s all hands on deck.

“I’ve been traveling, working out. The most recent place I just went to was Turks and Caicos for a surprise birthday trip, which was awesome. Traveling, working out pretty much, making sure I take time away from football because when we get into things, we are locked in. So, making sure I get my mind right for the season.”