Joe Burrow didn’t seem to believe that Tom Brady was done with football, but the Bengals quarterback does have a theory as to why the seven-time Super Bowl champ initially called it a career in February.

During a recent appearance on the “Full Send Podcast,” Burrow, 25, weighed in on Brady’s brief retirement, calling attention to the rampant speculation about the 44-year-old quarterback’s future, which peaked after Tampa Bay was eliminated from the playoffs in January.

“He’s playing way too well to give it up right now,” Burrow said. “I think he wanted to shut down the conversation. Cause if he didn’t announce his retirement, everyone would be talking about, ‘Is he retiring, is he not retiring?’ So I think he went ahead and did it to get everyone off his back so he could think about it.”

ESPN’s Adam Schefter and Jeff Darlington broke the news in late January that Brady was hanging up his cleats for good. Brady’s father, Tom Sr., dismissed the report a short while after, explaining his son had not yet made a decision about the future.

Brady confirmed his retirement on Feb. 1, only to announce his return 40 days later. Brady Sr., meanwhile, put the media on blast for the drama that ensued.

“They were announcing his retirement before he even retired,” Brady Sr. said in March on the “Greeny” podcast with Mike Greenberg. “You know, the media made the news. He was not ready to make any decision and didn’t make any decision, but Schefter and Darlington stated it as fact. You know, he hadn’t made any decision on that.”

Brady is now gearing up for his 23rd NFL season and his third in Tampa Bay. Burrow, a season removed from a Super Bowl appearance, will visit Brady and the Buccaneers in December.

When Brady eventually retires again, he’ll be moving over to Fox Sports to become their lead NFL analyst. The Post’s Andrew Marchand first reported last week that Brady agreed to a monster 10-year, $375 million deal.