Tom Brady has made the decision to retire from playing football for a second straight year, and this time, it appears to be for real.
The former New England Patriots quarterback took to social media to announce his decision to retire “for good” on Wednesday.
Although there was always the possibility of him walking away from football, the news was still a bit surprising with multiple teams being mentioned as possible landing spots for his services in 2023, including the Patriots at one point.
However, it’s time to turn the page to the next chapter for Brady, who’s leaving behind an unrivaled legacy. He is the NFL’s version of Michael Jordan. Some would even argue that he’s surpassed that.
Here are three takeaways from his retirement from the Patriots’ perspective.
Will Brady retire a Patriot?
Brady might have finished his career in Tampa Bay, but he will always be remembered as the quarterback for the Patriots.
Along with Bill Belichick, he helped lead the franchise to becoming arguably the greatest dynasty in sports history. So it only makes sense for him to sign a one-day contract and retire as a Patriot.
Ultimately, that’s what Patriots fans want to see, and it would obviously make owner Robert Kraft happy. We might even see Belichick force a grin as well. Both Brady and Belichick have been singing each others’ praises in recent months, and it would be a true feel-good send-off to see them reunite for this historic moment.
Say goodbye to the Miami Dolphins conspiracies
No, Brady is not joining the Miami Dolphins and forming a super team to face the Patriots twice a year.
Patriots fans can breathe a sigh of relief.
It was already hard enough watching Brady play against the Patriots with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 2021 season. No one needed to see him heaving up passes to Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle in an AFC East division that’s suddenly morphed into arguably the best in football.
Imagine Brady signing with the Dolphins and Aaron Rodgers joining Nathaniel Hackett with the New York Jets in a division that already has Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills.
Yeah, no thank you.
Does Belichick still have something to prove?
There has always been chatter about who deserves more of the credit for the Patriots’ dynasty: Tom Brady or Bill Belichick?
Brady had his drop-the-microphone moment in 2020, when he took his talents to the Buccaneers in Tampa Bay and won a Super Bowl in his first season with the team. Meanwhile, Belichick and the Patriots haven’t won a playoff game since he left New England, and they’ve missed the postseason entirely in two of the last three seasons.
Now that Brady is officially done, there’s no more threat of him winning more Super Bowls elsewhere. The pressure is now on Belichick to attempt to respond in some manner.
He should have a better shot of doing so with Bill O’Brien overtaking the reins as the Patriots’ new offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.
