Former Buccaneers quarterback Chris Simms believes Tom Brady could cut his season short due to his “weird” behavior and “personal issues” amid reports that he and his wife Gisele Bündchen are headed for a divorce.
During an appearance on NBC’s “Pro Football Talk Live” on Tuesday, Simms brought up Brady’s “off-the-field stuff” when asked by Mike Florio whether Brady or Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers is more likely to walk out during the current season.
“Normally I’d feel like it’s Rodgers that would be that guy. But because of this year and some of the off-the-field stuff that’s hitting home and personal stuff with Brady, this is the one year I feel maybe it might be Brady,” said Simms.
“It seems like, and I don’t know this, that his wife is threatening divorce or going down that road by all due accounts of what you read.
“I think Rodgers is usually the guy to be more renegade and be like ‘screw this, I’m out of here.’ But this is a weird year where we’re seeing Brady do weird crap and having personal issues.”
Florio added, “I have thought all along there’s a chance Brady checks out during the season and I still think that happens.”
While describing Brady’s “weird year,” Simms — who spent five of his eight NFL seasons with the Buccaneers — mentioned Brady’s 11-day absence in training camp in August.
At the time, the Buccaneers said Brady’s excused absence was due to personal reasons and that it was approved ahead of time.
Simms also brought up how Brady missed the team’s walk-through practice on Saturday — prior to the Bucs’ 20-18 loss to the Steelers on Sunday — so that he could attend New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft’s wedding in New York on Friday. Brady attended the surprise nuptials without Bündchen.
Simms’ comments came after Steelers legend Ben Roethlisberger explained on his podcast that Brady doesn’t appear to be having fun on the field.
Roethlisberger added that Brady “looked like a different Tom” during Sunday’s game, when Fox cameras the quarterback yelling at his offensive linemen as Tampa Bay trailed Pittsburgh with less than a minute left in the first half.
Earlier this week, Brady expressed his frustration with the 3-3 Bucs, saying on his Sirius XM “Let’s Go” podcast that he doesn’t believe his team is playing up to the level that it is capable of.
Last month, Page Six was first to report that Brady and Bündchen are navigating martial trouble following a fight over the quarterback’s decision to un-retire from the NFL.
Both Brady and Bündchen reportedly have hired divorce lawyers and are living separately. They share two kids — son Benjamin, 12, and 9-year-old daughter Vivian — and they co-parent Brady’s son Jack, 15, from Brady’s previous relationship with actress Bridget Moynahan.
Neither Brady nor Bündchen has publicly addressed divorce reports.
