Tom Brady on the 'Big Commitment' of Returning to Football, Why He's Giving It 'Another Shot'

Alexander Tamargo/Getty Tom Brady

Quarterback Tom Brady will soon be back on a football field, and many are wondering exactly what led the legendary quarterback there, after he retired from the NFL in February — only to "un-retire" six weeks later.

Brady gives PEOPLE some insight into his decision on Wednesday while golfing at the IWC Schaffhausen Big Pilot Challenge in Miami, Florida. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers athlete says there wasn't one thing that made him return to the sport he loves, rather, "I just felt like there was still a lot of competitiveness — for me to want to engage with my teammates, to give it another shot."

The announcement itself, though, was not so seamless. "The challenging part was the timing of everything because the team needs some answers and we were going into free agency and it was like, 'Alright, what's the decision?' and I said, 'OK, let's just make sure everything is good where it needs to be with my personal life and give it a go,' " he explains. "It's a big commitment … I have to make sure I take care of a lot of other things in the meantime."

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Some of the "other things" he plans to care for in the offseason include time with wife Gisele Bündchen, sons Jack, 14, and Benjamin, 11, and daughter, Vivian, 8.

"We're going to Europe for a great vacation with the family," Brady says of his plans before the season starts this fall. "We'll spend time with my family, time with my wife's family, time with our kids, make sure we get that in."

And then, it's back to the NFL — the easy part: "I love that, so in the end, that's pretty easy for me to do."

"When I get to football season, life is so much easier," he explains. "I'm in one place, focused with my one group of teammates."

Alexander Tamargo/Getty Tom Brady

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Brady played in the golf tournament, which benefitted the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation, alongside Formula 1 legend Lewis Hamilton — who was in town for the Miami Grand Prix — and former NFL running back Marcus Allen. Unsurprisingly, amidst lots of joking between the players, Brady performed well (perhaps his outfit, courtesy of his new sportswear brand, Brady, helped).

But the future Hall of Famer says athletic execution gets harder every season. "Every year, I think it's more challenging with my body. I try to take good care of myself, I try to get my routine better over the years, but I have to spend a lot more time and energy on it, preparing it, conditioning it, training it, getting all of my recovery treatments. It's literally all day, every day," he says of his age. "Before, there was a lot of margin of error. There's no margin of error at 44."

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Brady is well known for using cutting-edge approaches to his health and conditioning.

"They're still operating the same as 50, 60 years ago with sports medicine. I had to learn about that because I had to take care of myself or I wouldn't be playing this year," he explains. "I think part of what I'm going to do with my second career is continue to educate people in different ways to take care of themselves so they can continue doing the things they like."