WASHINGTON — While Tom Brady is not planning a return to the NFL, he admitted to having explored the possibility.

This week, in a discussion with CNBC Sport, Brady candidly shared his attempts to gauge the league’s interest in his potential return to football.

“I did inquire, and they weren’t too keen on the idea,” Brady revealed in the interview. “We’ve looked into various options, but I’m content with retirement. Just to clarify that.”

Brady, who stepped away from the game in 2022, now holds a minority ownership in the Las Vegas Raiders. This ownership could present challenges, as per NFL regulations. An NFL representative mentioned to CNBC that having an active player with team ownership would raise “salary cap issues.”

Discussing his involvement with the Raiders, Brady remarked, “I’m a minority owner, so there isn’t a specific job description. I don’t have a daily role, but I’m always available for anyone who needs me. I aspire to help cultivate a winning culture in Las Vegas and restore the Raiders’ former glory. Being part of that journey would be amazing.”

Brady’s comments come days after his performance at the Fanatics Flag Football Classic, alongside other current and former NFL stars, in Los Angeles. 

Brady fired a perfect touchdown pass to Stefon Diggs in the corner of the end zone on his first play in a competitive football game in more than 1,000 days.

The 48-year-old, seven-time Super Bowl champion even showed unusual elusive skills by evading a sack on a free rush, stepped up and delivered a strike for the TD after replacing Jalen Hurts on fourth-and-goal on the opening drive of the game.

Brady followed up with another beautiful pass to his longtime buddy and former teammate Rob Gronkowski for the 2-point conversion, giving his team an 8-0 lead over the USA squad in the Fanatics Flag Football Classic.

It was all downhill from there as Gronk went down with a hamstring injury, and Brady and his team of current and former NFL players coached by Sean Payton couldn’t keep up.

Team USA crushed Brady’s Founders FFC 43-16 after dismantling Joe Burrow’s Wildcats FFC squad 39-16. Burrow, Jayden Daniels, Saquon Barkley and the Wildcats then eliminated Brady, Hurts and the Founders from the round-robin tournament with a 34-26 victory.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.