It was a dignified departure befitting a player who must now be recognised as the NFL's greatest of all-time.Īfter Tampa Bay's exit from the play-offs, there had been some speculation about what Brady would do next and he was linked with several other NFL teams.īut this announcement comes before the rumour mill could go into overdrive, sparing suitors from making a futile attempt to sign him and giving them time to pursue other targets. This time around Brady made his intentions crystal clear in a raw, humble message direct from the man himself, rather than via a marketing team. Last year there were leaks and denials about whether Tom Brady would retire, then confirmation and a U-turn just 40 days later.
Analysis - a dignified departure for the undisputed GOAT Last March Brady agreed a 10-year contract worth a reported $375m external-link (£300m) to become Fox Sports' lead NFL analyst once he retired. The 2022-23 season was expected to be Brady's last, at least with the Bucs - he had been linked with the Las Vegas Raiders, Tennessee Titans, San Francisco 49ers and Miami Dolphins. It was reinstated for the start of 2016 and he missed the first four games of the campaign. In 2015 Brady was given a four-game suspension for allegedly colluding to deflate balls during a play-off game, but the ban was overturned after a United States judge ruled it had "legal deficiencies", allowing him to play the entire 2015-16 season. He is the NFL's all-time regular-season leader in pass attempts (12,050), completions (7,753), passing yards (89,214) and touchdown passes (649), as well as being the league's leader in all four categories in the post-season. His relentless pursuit of excellence drove him on a daily basis."īrady left the Patriots for the Bucs in 2020 and helped them win the title in his first season, being named the game's Most Valuable Player (MVP) for a fifth time.Īfter returning to the game last March, Brady - a three-time NFL season MVP - posted the first losing record of his career in a difficult year on and off the field.Īway from the sport, Brady and his wife of 13 years Gisele Bundchen announced their divorce in October after months of rumours.īrady - heralded as American football's GOAT (greatest of all time) - led his team to the play-offs in 20 of his 21 seasons as a starter. "He entered the NFL with little to no fanfare and leaves as the most successful player in league history. Patriots head coach Bill Belichick added: "Tom Brady was the ultimate winner. He led the Patriots to two decades of unprecedented dominance.
"He is the fiercest competitor I have ever known and the ultimate champion. "No player in NFL history has done it as well for as long as Tom Brady. "I am so proud of Tommy," said Patriots owner Robert Kraft. Love you all."Īfter being selected by the Patriots with the 199th pick of the 2000 draft, Brady led the franchise to six Super Bowl titles.
"Thank you for allowing me to live my absolute dream. I could go on forever - there's too many. "Thank you so much to every single one of you for supporting me - my family, my friends, my team-mates, my competitors. You only get one super-emotional retirement essay and I used mine up last year. "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'm retiring - for good," he said in an emotional video external-link posted on social media. He won six Super Bowls with the New England Patriots and one with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2021.īrady's final season ended in the Bucs' 31-14 play-off defeat last month.
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