Tom Brady isn't about to give up and quit on the Buccaneers ... and the Tampa Bay quarterback finds it pretty comical to think otherwise -- laughing off the notion and saying he has no immediate plans to retire.
TB12 was asked about whether he was considering hanging it up mid-season during media availability on Thursday ... which wasn't really a thing until the guys on "PFT Live" had a hypothetical conversation about the topic earlier this week.
Despite no real reason to believe Brady was thinking about leaving the sport behind, he answered the question ... but with some humor.
"That's really why I'm here. I'm here to announce finally ... you guys pushed me to the brink," Brady joked before getting serious.
"I love the sport, and I love the teammates," Brady said. "And I want to go do a great job for this team like I always have. No retirement in my future."
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Even the reporter knew the idea was pretty "crazy" ... but Brady's comment should put any speculation to rest.
Some may dissect Brady's "no retirement in my future" comment and think this means he's not retiring after this season -- even with football ruining his marriage to Gisele Bundchen -- but in the whole context, it appears he's really only responding to the immediate future.