Tom Brady is retiring from football after 22 seasons combined in the NFL with the New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The legendary quarterback, the most successful player in the sport’s history with seven Super Bowl titles, confirmed he is calling it a day.
An initial report by ESPN was followed up by a tweet from Brady’s official brand TB12 read: “7 Super Bowl Rings. 5 Super Bowl MVPs. 3 League MVP Awards. 22 Incredible Seasons. Thank you for it all, Tom Brady.”
Brady’s final game came last Sunday in the NFL divisional round of the play-offs, with the 44-year-old falling agonisingly short of a stunning comeback against the Los Angeles Rams, falling 30-27 at Raymond James Stadium.
Brady’s wide receiver Mike Evans reacted to the news, tweeting: “Thanks for everything big bro it was an honor.”
After being drafted 199th in the 2000 draft by the Patriots, Brady joined forces with esteemed head coach Bill Belichick in one of the greatest sporting dynasties of all time.
The pair delivered six Super Bowl titles before a split in 2020, when Brady moved to Tampa Bay under head coach Bruce Arians, seeking one final challenge and an opportunity to prove his worth away from Belichick.
And a miraculous run on the road through the play-offs saw Brady guide the Bucs to the Super Bowl in his debut season.
A victory over Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Championship game at Lambeau Field was followed by a 31-9 triumph over Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs at Super Bowl LV.
In a glittering career, Brady holds numerous prestigious records: he is the NFL’s all-time passing leader (84,520 yards) and passing touchdown leader (624 touchdowns thrown).
While Brady’s incredible career also includes five Super Bowl MVP awards, 15 Pro Bowl selections, six All Pro selections and three regular season MVP awards.
Other quarterbacks have retired due to injuries or declining play, but Brady walks away healthy aged 44 having led the NFL in passing touchdowns (43), with three more thrown in two play-off games against the Eagles and Rams this post-season.
Brady also remains a contender for a fourth MVP award, though Aaron Rodgers is a strong favourite.
His decision has come as somewhat of a shock, with Buccaneers coach Bruce Arians unaware as of Saturday that Brady was leaning towards retirement, telling the Tampa Bay Times: “He hasn’t that we know of. Agent [Donald Yee] just told us he hasn’t made up his mind.”
But Brady’s decision appears to be one that he is at peace with, having told Jim Gray on the “Let’s Go” podcast last week that he was “satisfied” overall with his career and that his family’s desire for him to walk away was a factor in his decision.
