Tom Brady could have been suiting up this weekend if it weren’t for his pesky friends.

As an addendum to his end-of-year Instagram post, Brady revealed (possibly in jest) that he nearly unretired for a second time in May.

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“PS: The only downside to 2023 was when I was about to unretire in May and my friends threw a surprise retirement party. Kind of forced my hand ,” Brady wrote in parentheses.

The seven-time Super Bowl champion initially retired in Feb. 2022 before returning the next month. He said he was retiring “for good” on Feb. 1, 2023. He was honored by the Patriots at halftime of their Week 1 loss to the Eagles.

Here’s the rest of Brady’s post, which featured 10 pictures of the former Patriots and Buccaneers quarterback:

“Looking back on 2023 grateful for every moment. Cherishing the highs, learning from the lows, and looking forward to what’s coming next. I’m blessed to have family and friends filled with so much love, joy, and compassion surrounding me. As you get older, you realize that this is really the only thing that matters, and I’ll never take these people for granted. Hug your kids, call your parents, tell your friends that you love them, and let’s all help make 2024 a kinder and happier year for everyone in our lives .”

It’s fun to wonder which team Brady would have been returning to play for. Perhaps the Raiders? Brady is attempting to buy a stake in the team, his buddy Josh McDaniels was head coach at the time, and there was injury drama involving then-starting QB Jimmy Garoppolo at the time.