Seven-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady announced Wednesday morning that he has officially decided to walk away from the game after 23 seasons.
Brady’s announcement comes one year after he briefly retired from football, only to return a short while later. Though, this seems to be a bit different. It really does seem like the last we’ll see of Brady on a football field was the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ loss to the Dallas Cowboys in this season’s NFC Wild Card Playoffs.
“Good morning, guys. I’ll get to the point right away. I’m retiring for good. I know the process was a pretty big deal last time, so when I woke up this morning, I figured I’d just press record and let you guys know first.
I won’t be longwinded. You only get one super emotional retirement essay, and I used mine up last year, so really thank you guys so much to every single one of you for supporting me.”
Tom Brady’s retirement announcement
We can compare Brady to some of the greats of the past. That will happen on a near never-ending loop now that he’s walking away from the game.
What we do know is that this former sixth-round pick from Michigan finishes his career atop most major statistical categories. In addition to being the only player with seven Super Bowl titles, he’s No. 1 among quarterbacks all-time in wins, completions, pass attempts, passing yards and passing touchdowns.
- Tom Brady stats: 64% completion, 89,214 yards, 649 TD, 212 INT, 97.2 QB rating
Brady, 45, earned 15 Pro Bowl appearances, three All-Pro appearances and was a five-time Super Bowl MVP. He leads all quarterbacks in NFL Playoff history in starts, wins, completions, attempts, passing yards and touchdowns.
We can continue to go on. But this is from the outside looking in. Once Tom Terrific officially announced his retirement colleagues and foes alike lobbed a tremendous amount of praise in his direction.
“I don’t believe in the 100-year-old history of the NFL, there’s been a quarterback of Tom’s ilk. I would have trouble ever believing there would be another one,” New England Patriots owners Robert Kraft said of Tom Brady.
Kraft’s Patriots made Brady the 199th overall pick in the 2000 NFL Draft. At that point, he seemed to be nothing more than a depth option or training camp body. New England boasted franchise quarterback and former No. 1 pick Drew Bledsoe.
Then, in his second season, everything changed for GOAT. Bledsoe went down to injury, leading to Brady taking over under center. He proceeded to lead New England to a surprise Super Bowl win over the then-St. Louis Rams, starting the dynastic run in Massachusetts. From there, Brady and Kraft shared a special relationship up until his departure from the Patriots following the 2019 season.
NFL colleagues, rivals honor Tom Brady following retirement announcement
When Brady retired this time last year, praise was thrown in his direction on a near never-ending loop. As we noted above, said retirement was short-lived.
Brady’s former Patriots team added a lengthy tribute video with highlights of his greatest moments with the organization.
“Tom Brady was an unbelievable teammate and was always one of the guys in the locker room,” Brady’s former teammate Darius Butler said on Tuesday.
Over the course of a 23-year career, Brady played with thousands of teammates. He touched them both on and off the field. That includes the quarterback’s three-year run to complete his tenure in the NFL.
One of his former backup quarterbacks praised Brady with a bit of humor mixed in.
Those who went to war against Brady in the trenches were also quick to pay their tributes to the all-time great. That included a quarterback in Patrick Mahomes who is going for his second Super Bowl title and could end up surpassing Brady as GOAT at some point down the line.
One of the greatest defensive players in modern NFL history agreed.