Insiders trying their best to piece together the puzzle

Huge mystery unfolding in and out of the Bucs organization Thursday with the absence of quarterback Tom Brady from training camp. But not just any absence, an absence where Brady won’t be with the team for roughly 10 days.

Many speculated as to what could be causing the future Hall of Famer from missing so much time. Was it his health? A family issue? Fortunately, it appears to not be anything serious.

The Bucs have known about this for some time and were good with it as head coach Todd Bowles noted it was at important to at least have Brady in camp the first couple weeks or so to begin building chemistry of sorts for the 2022 regular season.

So with the Bucs already knowing ahead of time, what exactly is the reason for the absence? According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Brady appears to just be addressing some work-life balance in the form of attending a “family thing” that sounds like it was planned for some time.

“Judging from the people I’ve spoken with that you are in the right area, that there is a family thing that I believe is happening — that is good,” Rapoport told the crew on the Pat McAfee Show Thursday when they suggested he had some things already planned with the family prior.

You can check out the full report in the video below.