I doubt if he thought he would have such a bad year. He most likely will hang it up after this year. And yes, he probably wants to pull off a Payton Manning deal like you say. In hindsight, he should of retired a couple years ago like you mentioned. Maybe he is trying to prove that he is still young for the job.
The day Marino retired i took 10 years plus break from watching football and not come back until i got a flash that some dude from New England has taken over and humiliated my fins again and again. Now i am a fan of this dude and i want him to continue as long as i still watch football.
I voted no on the poll in thinking about it further, because by golly, he can break more records if he has the energy for it, like being longest-ever player in the NFL, break more pass yard records in some way, all that shit. Screw it, Tom. You already lost your wife and kid, so go for broke. Play until you die playing. End of line.
Looks like official results are in... https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/01/sports/football/tom-brady-retires.html
Yep... looks like he is finally retiring for good. A shame he didn't do so before he wrecked his marriage, etc. etc. But he has had a great career and is a spectacularly talented QB.
Now that Brady is out of the picture i expect Rodgers to make a statement that he's playing until 46. You know the rivalry between them and Rodgers is the only one that comes close.