The first report of Bucs quarterback Tom Brady’s pending retirement is here. Whether it is accurate or not remains to be seen. On Friday night, NFL reporter Jason La Canfora wrote that Brady’s decision to retire was “imminent”. La Canfora cited “several sources in Brady’s inner circle” who are anticipating an announcement from the all-time great soon.

La Canfora’s track record as a reporter is exceptionally spotty, so take this report with a grain of salt. Or maybe a pound. Admittedly, this would be a big one to get wrong. Reporting on CBS Sports, La Canfora said he “anticipates strongly that it will be a retirement announcement” from Brady. The reporter also said he expects an announcement to come from Brady as soon as this week. At the latest, La Canfora expects Brady to make his decision public following the Super Bowl.

Until two weeks ago, most expected Brady to play at least one more year. The quarterback had never publicly expressed anything to the contrary, while playing at an MVP level. Bucs head coach Bruce Arians even said he would be “shocked” if Brady called it quits this winter. But it’s clear Brady has thought a lot about retirement after listening to him talk on his podcast “Let’s Go!”.

The Bucs star quarterback led the NFL in passing yards with 5,316 and touchdowns with 43. He broke just about every record left to break this season, while guiding the Bucs to a 13-4 record, the best in franchise history.

If Brady retires, the Bucs will have Blaine Gabbert and Kyle Trask as options for next season. But don’t expect Tampa Bay to be passive in their search for another quarterback. Bruce Arians is almost 70 years old, and this roster is ready to win now. Expect the Bucs to look at free agency and trade options this offseason. In the meantime, they’ll pray Brady returns for one last hurrah.