Tom Brady Doesn't Rule Out Retirement After Playoff Exit

Tom Brady was non-committal about his future following the Bucs' playoff exit Sunday ... with the QB not ruling out retirement in a postgame meeting with reporters.

"Truthfully guys, I'm thinking about this game," said Brady, whose Tampa team lost 30-27 at Raymond James Stadium. "I'm not thinking about anything past five minutes from now."

"I haven't put a lot of thought into it, so you know, we will just take it day by day and kind of see where we are at."

There had been a lot of discussion leading up to Sunday's divisional game regarding the status of Brady's future ... with his former Patriots teammate, Rob Ninkovich, saying last week he wouldn't be surprised to see the QB retire if the Bucs lost.

So, naturally, Tom was peppered with questions about his future when Tampa fell ... but he wouldn't give a definitive answer either way.

Bucs head coach Bruce Arians, meanwhile, said he wasn't sure if the QB was coming back either ... saying of TB12's future, "That’s up to Tom, just like all veteran players."

Brady, who will turn 45 in August, is under contract for one more season.

Brady's future as an NFL quarterback wasn't the only thing worth discussing from Sunday's game ... 'cause for the first time in the QB's career, he got hit with an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.

The flag came after the signal-caller was complaining to referee Shawn Hochuli that he sustained a bloody lip after taking a shot from Rams' pass rusher Von Miller.

Hochuli later said he flagged Brady because "he got in my face in an aggressive manner and used abusive language."