The greatest of all time is hanging them up.
Tom Brady is retiring after 22 NFL seasons, according to ESPN. The 44-year-old quarterback won a league-record seven Super Bowls, including six with the Patriots. His 20-year career in New England earned him near universal recognition as the greatest quarterback to ever play and perhaps the greatest player ever.
Brady finishes as the NFL’s all-time passing leader with 85,520 career yards and 624 career touchdowns. He was a six-time All-Pro, 15-time Pro Bowler and five-time Super Bowl MVP. Brady’s last game was a divisional-round loss against the Rams, one where he completed a 24-point comeback in the fourth quarter only to see Los Angeles edge his Buccaneers in the final seconds.
According to ESPN, Brady’s decision to retire has been driven by several factors, including his family and health. It is unclear when Brady will announce his retirement. Earlier in the week, Brady discussed the possibility of retirement of his podcast, “Let’s Go.”
“I said this a few years ago, it’s what relationships are all about,” Brady said. “It’s not always what I want. It’s what we want as a family. And I’m going to spend a lot of time with them and figure out in the future what’s next.”
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In New England, Brady’s hallmark was the comeback.
His career started with three Super Bowl victories in his first four seasons as a starter. With Brady, the Patriots also completed the only perfect 16-game regular season in NFL history. Brady won three more Super Bowls in his final years in New England, including a 25-point comeback victory over the Falcons, the greatest comeback in Super Bowl history.
After leaving the Patriots in March 2020 as a free agent, Brady signed with the Buccaneers. He lifted Tampa Bay to a title in his first season, blowing out the then reigning champion Chiefs, 31-9. Brady reached the Super Bowl in half of the 20 regular seasons he completed as a starter.
In 2021, Brady’s Bucs edged out the Patriots in a 19-17 regular-season meeting at Foxboro. The game brought together Brady and Bill Belichick, the greatest coach of all time, together for the first time since their split. Belichick called Brady one of the original creators of the culture that launched the longest dynasty the NFL has ever seen.
“With his relentless competitiveness and longevity, he earned everyone’s admiration and will be celebrated forever. It has been a privilege to coach Tom Brady for 20 years,” Belichick’s statement read in March 2020. “Examples of Tom’s greatness are limitless, going back even before he was drafted. We witnessed how he prepared when he wasn’t playing, how he performed when he got his opportunity, what he did to continuously improve, his leadership, his mindset, the example he set, and, of course, the person he is.
“I am extremely grateful for what he did for our team and for me personally. Sometimes in life, it takes some time to pass before truly appreciating something or someone but that has not been the case with Tom. He is a special person and the greatest quarterback of all-time.”
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