Should the Patriots make this one big move for Tom Brady's return to Foxboro?

Amidst the commotion of the NFL schedule release last week, Patriots owner Robert Kraft made a big announcement during an appearance on NFL Network's Good Morning Football.

Just hours before New England fans knew what the home opener would be, they were thrilled to hear Kraft reveal that he had invited Tom Brady to attend the game, with plans to honor the longtime quarterback upon his return to Gillette Stadium.

"The NFL is over a century old, and 20 percent of those years of the NFL the greatest player in the history of the game played right here in Foxborough. And I'm happy to tell you and your audience that I invited him back, to come here and be with us at the opening game and let the fans in New England thank him for the great service he gave us for over 20 years. And it will be the beginning of many celebrations to honor Tom Brady and say thank you for what he did for us those 20 years playing for the New England Patriots."

Since Brady has seemingly retired for good, at least we assume he has this time, this will be his first time back to his old team since the Bucs visited the Patriots during the 2021 season.

But what will the celebration in September look like? And what will it entail?

Typically, as seen in years past, the honored player has a ceremony during halftime. Kraft is usually there to speak to the fans in attendance and adequately thank the former Patriot for their contributions to the team.

Because Brady is the most iconic and successful player in the organization's history, he will likely have a more significant celebration than what we've grown accustomed to.

Could that, and should that include retiring his jersey number?

It has been a highly debated topic since the quarterback left the team after the 2019 season, with some believing his number should've been retired back then. Now that it has been over three years since then and he has officially retired from the league, now seems like the time to do the biggest of honors and retire number twelve in New England.

It has already felt like the number is retired since no player has taken that number in Brady's absence. So why not make it official now?

That then begs the question; will Brady sign a one-day contract to retire as a member of the Patriots officially?

The importance of that happening has also been highly debated, with strong viewpoints on both sides. Brady has yet to comment on whether that is something he has considered, but he hasn't shot down the idea when asked, nor has Kraft.

It is yet to be seen whether or not it will happen come week one. But it doesn't seem out of the question, as it would undoubtedly be one of the most prominent signs of respect and honor to do so.