Tom Brady, 46, isn't 'walking through these doors,' says his former teammate and Patriots first-year coach Jerod Mayo after the New England legend floated the idea of ANOTHER comeback

Tom Brady is unlikely to return to the New England Patriots as a player, according to his former teammate and the franchise's first-year coach, Jerod Mayo.

Brady recently sparked headlines when he said he wasn't opposed to making a late-season NFL return, and even mentioned his former club as one potential option.

Mayo doubts he'll be coaching Brady anytime soon, but did stress that the seven-time Super Bowl champion is welcome to come aboard as a coach.

'I love Tom,' Mayo told WEEI's Greg Hill. 'The door is always open if he wants to come in here and coach. But as far as going on the field, I don't know.

'If [Brady] comes in here, going back to the ''best player will play,'' you have to come here and compete. He loves competition. But I doubt he's going to be walking through these doors any time soon.'

New England Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo, center, talks with reporters in March of 2024

Tom Brady is unlikely to return to the New England Patriots as a player, Jerod Mayo said 

Mayo and Brady appear together at training camp in 2014, when they were both Patriots 

On paper, the Patriots and Brady seem like a poor fit at this point. Brady's desire to win a record eighth Super Bowl appears to be incongruent with a team coming off a 4-13 season. 

And while New England could use a veteran starter to groom first-round pick and future starting quarterback Derek Maye, Brady is unlikely to be coaxed out of retirement for a mere fill-in role with the Patriots. 

Brady is currently preparing to move to the announcer's booth with Fox this year, although sports radio legend Mike Francesa believes the Patriots legend will struggle in his new role. 

When asked for his thoughts on Brady in the booth during a listener email segment on his BetRivers podcast, Francesa said: 'I don't think his heart is in it.

'I don't think his personality is such. I don't think he's going to be great at it. I really don't.

'I think there's a unique quality that you have to bring that allows you as an analyst to see the game, see the game quickly, plus bring personality into it.

'It's a tricky job for the analyst in football because you're going to spend a lot of time over replay. 

The Patriots are moving on at quarterback, where Derek Maye could see action as a rookie 

Mike Francesa says Brady will struggle because it requires a 'unique quality'  he doesn't have

'You're going to spend a lot of time breaking down what happens on replay. And you also have to be very personable and glib in how you do it. I don't see him there.' 

Although a spot in the Fox booth awaits, Brady has teased a possible return to the NFL at the age of 46. 

Brady said earlier this month, when on an episode of 'DeepCut', that he was 'not opposed' to listening to an NFL team if they wanted him to sign with them.

Brady has already retired twice from the NFL, in February 2022 and February 2023. 

His first retirement lasted 40 days, with his current stay away from football at over 14 months. The difference with his two retirements was filing his retirement papers to the NFL and NFLPA nine days after his second retirement.