Tom Brady isn’t in the building and Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles doesn’t seem to know when he’ll be back. The legendary quarterback is currently away from the team on an excused leave of absence, and Bowles told reporters “we’ll see” and “we’ll talk about it next week” when he could return.
Brady’s absence began last week and the team said it was “to get some personal stuff done.” Bowles said at the time the quarterback “won’t be here until after Tennessee.”
That clash with Tennessee will be played on Saturday, but after two days of training with the Titans, Bowles said he didn’t have an exact date for Brady’s return.
“Right now I’m not worried about that. We’re trying to practice against Tennessee and play a game,” Bowles said Thursday. “I said sometime after Tennessee. There is no fixed date for me. We’ll check, we’ll keep in touch and find out.”
Brady didn’t play the Dolphins in the preseason opener in Tampa Bay and it’s not yet known if he will play Indianapolis in the preseason finals.
While Brady and the Bucs may have previously agreed on an exact return date, Bowles indicated Thursday he was unaware. Unless a specific date has been agreed, the Bucs may appear to avoid setting a public deadline for the end of his furlough to avoid making headlines if he isn’t back by that date.
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