Tom Brady, the greatest NFL quarterback of all time and one of the greatest winners across all sports, has decided to retire after 22 seasons at the age of 44.
Brady made the announcement today in a lengthy social media post.
The statement:
I have always believed the sport of football is an "all-in" proposition - if a 100% competitive commitment isn't there, you won't succeed, and success is what I love so much about our game. There is a physical, mental, and emotional challenge EVERY single day that has allowed me to maximize my highest potential. And I have tried my very best these past 22 years. There are no shortcuts to success on the field or in life. This is difficult for me to write, but here it goes: I am not going to make that competitive commitment anymore. I have loved my NFL career, and now it is time to focus my time and energy on other things that require my attention.
I've done a lot of reflecting the past week and have asked myself difficult questions. And I am so proud of what we have achieved. My teammates, coaches, fellow competitors, and fans deserve 100% of me, but right now, it's best I leave the field of play to the next generation of dedicated and committed athletes.
To my Bucs teammates the past two years, I love you guys, and I have loved going to battle with you. You have dug so deep to challenge yourself, and it inspired me to wake up every day and give you my best. I am always here for you guys and want to see you continue to push yourselves to be your best. I couldn't be happier with what we accomplished together.
To all the Bucs fans, thank you. I didn't know what to expect when I arrived here, but your support and embrace have enriched my life and that of my family. I have been honored to play for such a passionate and fun fan base. What a Krewe!!!
To the city of Tampa and the entire Tampa-St. Petersburg region, thank you. It has been wonderful to be a resident of such a fun place to live. I want to be invited to our next boat parade!
To the Glazer family, thank you for taking a chance on me and supporting me. I know I was demanding at times, but you provided everything we needed to win, and your ownership was everything a player could ask for.
To Jason Licht, thank you for your daily support and friendship - I will never forget it. I had never been through free agency, and I had some trepidation about how we could achieve success. Your leadership gave me confidence, and I will always be grateful.
To my head coach Bruce Arians, thanks for putting up with me! Your firm leadership and guidance were ideal. There is no way we could have had success without your experience, intuition, and wisdom. I am very grateful.
To all the Bucs coaches, my sincere thanks for all the hard work, dedication, and discipline that goes into creating a winning team. I have learned so much from all of you and will value the relationships we have.
To every single Bucs staffer and employee, thank you. Each of you is critically important, and I was greeted with a smile every day. That means so much to me. Your work is made up of long hours and hard tasks, but please know I see each and every one of you. Thank you so much.
To Alex Guerrero, thank you. I could never have made every Sunday without you; it's that simple. Your dedication to your craft and our friendship and brotherhood are immeasurable. We have an unbreakable bond, and I love you.
To Don Yee and Steve Dubin, thank you. You've been with me every step of the way since I left the University of Michigan and before I entered the league. What a journey it's been, and I couldn't do it without you.
To my parents and entire family (and extended family of countless friends), I love you and thank you for your never-ending support and love. I could never have imagined the time and energy you have given for me the past 30 years in football. I can never repay you. And just know I love you so much.
And lastly to my wife, Gisele, and my children Jack, Benny and Vivi. You are my inspiration. Our family is my greatest achievement. I always came off the field and home to the most loving and supportive wife who has done EVERYTHING for our family to allow me to focus on my career. Her selflessness allowed me to reach new heights professionally, and I am beyond words what you mean to me and our family. Te amo amor da minha vida
My playing career has been such a thrilling ride, and far beyond my imagination, and full of ups and downs. When you're in it every day, you really don't think about any kind of ending. As I sit here now, however, I think of all the great players and coaches I was privileged to play with and against the competition was fierce and deep, JUST HOW WE LIKE IT. But the friendships and relationships are just as fierce and deep. I will remember and cherish these memories and re-visit them often. I feel like the luckiest person in the world.
The future is exciting. I'm fortunate to have cofounded incredible companies like @autograph.o @bradybrand @tb12sports that I am excited to continue to help build and grow, but exactly what my days will look like will be a work-in-progress. As I said earlier, I am going to take it day by day. I know for sure I want to spend a lot of time giving to others and trying to enrich other people's lives, just as so many have done for me.
With much love, appreciation, and gratitude,
Tom
According to ESPN, "Sources said that Brady's decision to retire is based on several factors, including family and health. While less significant, Brady also recognizes that the Buccaneers are likely to undergo significant roster turnover, sources said."
Robert Kraft released a statement:
“Words cannot describe the feelings I have for Tom Brady, nor adequately express the gratitude my family, the New England Patriots and our fans have for Tom for all he did during his career. A generation of football fans have grown up knowing only an NFL in which Tom Brady dominated. He retires with nearly every NFL career passing record, yet the only one that ever mattered to him was the team’s win-loss record. In his 20 years as a starter his teams qualified for the playoffs 19 times. He led his teams to 10 Super Bowls, winning an NFL-record seven championships. In a team sport like football, it is rare to see an individual have such a dominant impact on a team’s success. You didn’t have to be a Patriots fan to respect and appreciate his competitiveness, determination and will to win that fueled his success. As a fan of football, it was a privilege to watch. As a Patriots fan, it was a dream come true.
“I have the greatest respect for Tom personally and always will. His humility, coupled with his drive and ambition, truly made him special. I will always feel a close bond to him and will always consider him an extension of my immediate family.”
Brady's decision comes off a 13-4 season and a first-round loss to the Rams last weekend. He led the league in passes completed (485), attempt (719), passing yards (5,316), and passing TDs (43). In two seasons with the Buccaneers after leaving New England, Brady was 28-10 (including playoffs), had 83 passing TDs against 24 interceptions, and threw for nearly 10,000 yards in the regular season. Brady could be named AP NFL MVP for a fourth time next month.
Brady famously once said, "When I suck, I'll retire. I don't plan on sucking for a long time."
While the Bucs fell apart due to injury and turmoil toward the end of the season, Brady was still very much on top of his game.
If he is indeed walking away now, it has to be for family considerations, which have weighed on him in recent seasons. Of course, it can't be totally ruled out that Brady could pull a Brett Favre in that he retires, his former team makes moves that make it impossible for him to return under the salary cap if he reconsiders, and the Bucs have to release him, freeing him up to sign with any team. But that has to be deemed very much a longshot.
It is very likely that Brady has indeed decided to walk away from one of the greatest careers in any sport.
He retires as a seven-time Super Bowl champion, a five-time SB MVP, and a three-time league MVP. His teams won 76.8 percent of the games he started (243-73) — and he won over 70 percent of his games with the Patriots and Buccaneers.
Brady retires as the NFL's leader in passes completed and attempted, yards and TDs. Brady started for 20 seasons (missed 2008 with injury), and he led his teams to 10 Super Bowls in that time — an amazing feat that may not be duplicated.
Brady's NFL career became something out of a movie very quickly and never had an intermission.
He entered as a sixth-round pick of the Patriots in 2000 out of Michigan, and sat fourth on the depth chart. He eventually beat out Damon Huard to become Drew Bledsoe's backup in 2001, and was inserted as the starter when Mo Lewis put Bledsoe in the hospital in a Week 2 loss to the Jets. Brady and the Patriots beat Peyton Manning and the Colts in his first start. Brady never let go of his position, and led the Patriots to one of the biggest upsets in Super Bowl history, 20-17 in SB XXXVI, and three titles in his first four seasons as a starter.
Brady transformed himself during his career, from quintessential game manager early to an aerial assassin from 2007 to about 2012. The Patriots and Brady finally found the right formula again in 2014 — after a decade of not capturing that elusive 4th title — to win another Super Bowl and, again, they won three titles (in five seasons) to form Patriots Dynasty 2.0. Brady's final title with the Patriots in 2018 was a fitting unexpected ride where Brady largely took a back seat to the running game outside of clutch late-game performances against the Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game, and Rams in Super Bowl LIII.
Brady departed the Patriots on his own, and sometimes acrimonious, terms after the 2019 season. After not finding much of a market for his services — the 49ers and Titans are just two teams that mistakenly passed on Brady at age 43 — Brady stunned most by signing with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, a talented but rudderless ship that was sunk the previous season by a record number of turnovers. Brady led them to an 11-5 regular season. After a 7-5 start, the Bucs won their final eight games.
For his entire career — start to finish — Brady stood out with his mind, competitiveness, and a clutch gene that rivaled if not surpassed the greatest athletes in other sports. Brady's teams were never out of any game — the 28-3 comeback vs. the Falcons in Super Bowl LI the most historic example — even in his last start. Tampa trailed the Rams 27-3 midway through the third quarter last Sunday, and tied the game with 42 seconds left.
Every start was breathtaking. Every dropback from center could end up being magical.
That was Tom Brady, as a player, in a nutshell. Everything he touched turned to gold, especially for Robert Kraft, Bill Belichick, countless coaches and teammates.
(And, yes, media members. Chronicling the last half of Brady's career, and watching his film intently, has been one of the greatest honors of my career.)
This is 100 percent true: If this is indeed it for Brady, we will never pass this way again. He was truly one of a kind, and we were all lucky to be witnesses to his greatness for 22 years.
NICKEL PACKAGE
1. The Josh McDaniels watch in Las Vegas should kick into high gear later tonight. There is a report from Pro Football Network that basically states a McDaniels and Dave Ziegler pairing with the Raiders is a fait accompli, but it's not there yet. McDaniels arrived in Vegas last night, and they all dined together. But things were far from definitive entering today with McDaniels. He will need to be 100 percent convinced this is the best situation for him and his family, or he will return to the Patriots. That McDaniels even took the trip is a good sign — after drafting Mac Jones and seeing a path forward for the Patriots — McDaniels is no longer entertaining every option. This will be very tempting for McDaniels, however. He likely has a chance to tailor the entire organization to his liking, which is a must for him his second (and possibly final) time around.
2. Bill O'Brien is the overwhelming favorite to become the Patriots' offensive coordinator should McDaniels move on, and the successor-in-the-clubhouse to Belichick. Knowing O'Brien, McDaniels' close friend for years, could seamlessly take over the Patriots' offense would bring much comfort to all involved. That was not the case in previous years when McDaniels entertained other offers and interviews. O'Brien would easily slide into McDaniels' Head Coach Offense role and leave Belichick to clean up the team's other messes. Nick Caley and Mick Lombardi are top internal candidates but both probably need more seasoning.
3. Offseason update: The Patriots have $3 million in effective cap space for 2022 on a $208 million cap, according to OverTheCap.com. That's 21st in the league. The Patriots have the 21st pick in the draft, and have selections in the first, second, third, fourth and two sixth-round picks (one from Rams for Sony Michel). The fifth-round pick was dealt to the Raiders for Trent Brown. The Patriots had three seventh-round picks that were used in minor deals.
4. AFC Championship pick: Bengals at Chiefs (-7), 3 p.m. (CBS)
Kansas City reminds me a bit of the Bucs last season in that they were floundering at one point (3-4) but have since won 11 of 12 games. Of course, the lone loss was a 34-31 defeat in Cincinnati against these Bengals. Joe Burrow threw for 446 yards and 4 TDs in that game, with 266 and 3 going to Ja'Marr Chase. The Chiefs will not allow that to happen again, especially in Arrowhead. The Bengals are fortunate to be in this spot, sort of like the Bills last season and the Colts with Andrew Luck — and we know what happened in those games.
Chiefs 35, Bengals 17.
5. NFC Championship pick: 49ers at Rams (-3.5), 6:30 p.m. (Fox)
Great matchup here against two rivals that know each other well (San Fran won both regular-season meetings 31-10 and 27-24). It's going to come down to the QBs and which one you trust the most, and both Matthew Stafford and Jimmy Garoppolo have their rough moments. I don't love either and both defensive fronts will put a lot of pressure in the pocket, but I just think the Rams have more ways to win this game than the 49ers.
Rams 23, 49ers 20