Tom Brady's return to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is imminent.
Just days after saying he didn't have a definitive return date for the future Hall of Fame quarterback, Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles told reporters Sunday he will be back with the team early this week.
Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported he is expected to return on Monday.
Brady left training camp on August 11 for an absence Bowles said was planned in advanced so he could "deal with some personal things" and he was scheduled to re-join the team after their preseason game against the Tennessee Titans this past Saturday.
Two days before the Bucs' second preseason game, however, Bowles admitted he didn't know exactly when Brady would return.
"We'll see. We'll talk about it next week," Bowles said on Thursday, via The Athletic. "I'm not concerned about it right now. We're trying to practice against Tennessee and play a game. I said sometime after Tennessee. There's no definitive date for me. We'll keep in touch and find out."
His noncommittal update seemed to contradict what he said the previous week about Brady's scheduled absence, and his uncertainty about when he would return created a bit of a stir.
A few days off wasn't entirely shocking for a 45-year-old quarterback who has had plenty of practice reps over a pro career that began in 2000, but an extended absence without a definite return date was more unusual.
Bowles, though, seemed to quell any concern on Sunday by saying he will be back with the team shortly.
Brady famously retired briefly this offseason before announcing in mid-March that he would return for a third season with Tampa Bay and 23rd in the NFL after leading the league with a career-high 5,316 passing yards in 2021, while also ranking first in passing touchdowns with 43.
He led the Buccaneers to a 13-4 regular-season record and NFC South crown last year, but their season ended with a 27-20 loss to the eventual Super Bowl-champion Los Angeles Rams in the Divisional Round of the playoffs.
Tampa Bay begin this season at the Dallas Cowboys on September 11, and Bowles said last week Brady's absence would not affect the seven-time Super Bowl champion's availability for the opener.