As Tom Brady has lingered into his 40s, he has not outlasted his welcome.

Tony Romo is still showing how good he is at calling plays before they develop. On Friday, the former QB and current color analyst was on the CBS Morning show with his broadcast partner Jim Nantz, and in the midst of their assessment of the games to be played for the Conference championships, Romo posited a theory.

“The Tom Brady one’s really interesting. I don’t know anything, no inside information. I don’t talk to Tom at all about this. I think when he wins it, I think he’s opposite of what some people think. I think that’s when he goes away, when he loses.”

Though he did not use a telestrator, it is starting to look as if Romo spotted another play in development. Word is coming out of the Boston area that Tom Brady is looking to make an announcement very soon that he is ending his professional football career.

Citing sources from Brady’s close associates, CBS 4-Boston announces that we can expect word from the future Hall of Fame thrower he is stepping down.

According to CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora, several members of Brady’s “inner circle” believe “that the all-time great is preparing to retire from the game.” The report said “a formal announcement expected shortly.”

The reason for the speculation is that, allegedly, Brady does not want to have his announcement impact Super Bowl week, which takes place in three weeks. Waiting until after the Big Game would mean it’s a full month from now, and he wants to allow for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers organization to have the full time to make decisions and arrange for things in a post-Brady world.

Another possibility is that if Brady is looking to segue into the broadcast side of things, an announcement now might pave the way for him to get his initial time in during the upcoming Super Bowl. What better way for an outlet to promote they have the biggest name in the game right now than during the biggest hype-fest surrounding the sport.

Another indicator that had been forwarded was that Ben Rawitz — Brady’s longtime assistant dating back to his tenure in New England -– is reportedly putting out feelers to others that his services are available. 

Tony Romo’s theory is a sound one because if it was a case of Tom quitting while he was on top, last year would have been the time of his departure. For his entire career, the speculation had been that Brady was in a perfectly designed system and paired with the right coach in Bill Bilichick, so that all of the elements congealed into a rare entity that dominated the NFL. Many felt that removing any of those aspects would lead to diminished results.

Tom’s arrival in Tampa dispelled all of that. There was no better display of the impact he has alone than the way he transformed the Buccaneers. The organization had explosive season ticket sales with his arrival, the roster was adjusted to his specs, and he led them to a Super Bowl. Not only that, but Brady has put up some career-best statistics while playing north of age 40. He has shown that the difference is him. 

So, now we wait. If the announcement comes to fruition, it will be the close of a deeply significant chapter in the annals of the NFL. There will forever be barroom arguments over who the best players in the history of the game have been. Brady will forever be in the mix of those discussions, and anyone campaigning on his behalf will have almost insurmountable statistical evidence to cite. The only retort would be in bringing up the differences of previous eras, and speculating if he could have had as big of an impact.

Seven Super Bowl victories, three MVP awards, the only QB with over 600 touchdowns, and a whole grocery list of other records means that in these debates, the only logical arguments to make against the man will have to begin with, “Yeah, but…”