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Tom Brady, who won a record seven Super Bowls for New England and Tampa, has announced his retirement.
Brady – the most successful quarterback in NFL history, and one of the greatest athletes in team sports – posted the announcement on social media on Wednesday morning.
“Good morning guys. I’ll get to the point right away,” Brady said as the message began. “I’m retiring. For good.”
He had previously called time on his career after the 2021 season but wound up coming back for one more year with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
He retires aged 45, the owner of numerous records in a remarkable 23-year career. A year ago when he retired, it was in the form of a long Instagram post. But about six weeks later, he decided to come back for one more run.
The Buccaneers – with whom he won a Super Bowl two seasons ago – made the play-offs again this season, losing in their play-off opener and raising the question of whether Brady would play again. A couple of weeks later, he has given the answer.
“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,” Brady said in the video.
“I won’t be long-winded. You only get one super-emotional retirement essay and I used mine up last year.
“I really thank you guys so much, to every single one of you for supporting me. My family, my friends, teammates, my competitors. I could go on forever. There’s too many.
“Thank you guys for allowing me to live my absolute dream. I wouldn’t change a thing. Love you all.”
Quarterback Patrick Mahomes has led the chorus of applause to celebrate Brady’s career.
His announcement has sparked an outpouring of affection and respect from his peers, with fellow quarterback star Mahomes leading the tributes to the “greatest”.
The Kansas City Chiefs man posted three goat emojis to Twitter, in reference to the acronym GOAT – greatest of all-time.
Brady’s Tampa Bay teammate Ryan Jensen, who won Super Bowl LV alongside him, penned a heartfelt message after he helped him through injury last season.
“Thanks for pushing me every day this season, mentally and physically, to get back on the field,” he wrote.
“I’m glad I was able to take the field with you one last time! Enjoy retirement, don’t dog me too much in the booth. Love ya man!”
“Greatest of All Time. No question, no debate,” said three-time NFL defensive player of the year JJ Watt, who announced his retirement earlier this year. “It’s been an honor and a privilege.”
Praise for Brady was not limited to American football, with martial arts veteran Conor McGregor praising the player’s Irish roots, while former New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter offered his congratulations on “an unbelievable career”, adding: “It was fun to watch!”
England soccer captain Harry Kane chipped in on Twitter: “Congrats on an amazing career @TomBrady. See you on the golf course soon.”
Brady spent the majority of his career with the New England Patriots, taking the team to six Super Bowl successes between 2000 and 2019.
He moved to the Buccaneers for the 2020 season, and inspired them to a surprise championship in his first campaign in Florida.
The Glazer family, owners of the Buccaneers, said: “Tom’s impact on our franchise these past three years has been immense and we are appreciative of the time we had with him here in Tampa Bay.
“He set an exceptional standard that elevated our entire organisation to new heights and created some of the most iconic moments in our history. Tom’s impact will be felt within our community for many years to come and we will be forever grateful for those unforgettable memories that he provided.”
(Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
Brady leaves the NFL with more wins, yards passing and touchdowns than any other quarterback, even setting a pair of single-season passing records at the age of 45.
And he departs, boasting one of the great highlights reels in sport.
Brady didn’t finish his career with a winning record in his last season. He did, however, make his mark. He set a pair of NFL single-season records, completing 490 passes on 733 attempts, and wound up ranking third in the NFL with 4694 yards passing. And yes, he led the Bucs to a second straight NFC South title even with a losing record.
Of course, the first Super Bowl decided in overtime featured Brady leading one of the great comebacks in sports history. Trailing Atlanta 28-3 in the third quarter, Brady threw two TDs and then drove the Patriots 91 yards by completing six passes to set up the tying score inside the final minute. Once New England won the coin toss, Brady completed his first five passes as the Patriots won 34-28 for their fifth Super Bowl in 2017.
Already the oldest quarterback to play in a Super Bowl, Brady outduelled the NFL’s young MVP gun Patrick Mahomes in Kansas City in January 2019, with another Super Bowl berth on the line.
Brady answered each big drive by Mahomes, especially in a thrilling fourth quarter in which the lead was swapped four times. In overtime, Brady took over, converting on a trio of third-and-10s with a pair of passes to Julian Edelman and a third to Rob Gronkowski to set up the clinching TD run by Rex Burkhead.
Even coming close to Brady’s record in Super Bowls will be very challenging after he won No.7 in his first season in Tampa Bay. He threw two touchdowns to Gronkowski and a third to Antonio Brown as the Bucs routed Mahomes and the Chiefs 31-9.
At the Patriots, Brady tied a play-off record by throwing six TD passes in a divisional game against the Denver Broncos on January 14, 2012. Brady threw three passes to Gronkowski, and he went on to finish with 363 yards passing in the Patriots’ 45-10 victory.
Brady dominated his rivalry with five-time NFL MVP Peyton Manning, winning 11 of their 17 meetings and their first play-off showdown. With the Patriots and Colts facing off in the AFC championship game on Brady’s home turf in 2004, Brady capped an opening drive with a TD pass to David Givens and had the Patriots up 15-0 at halftime on the way to a 24-14 victory and another Super Bowl berth.
Brady gave a preview of post-season success to come in 2002, in his only play-off game at old Foxboro Stadium. Trailing the Oakland Raiders 13-10 with 1:50 left, former Michigan teammate Charles Woodson knocked the ball out of Brady’s hand. The Raiders recovered the fumble and celebrated only to have the call reversed on replay by referee Walt Coleman because of the little-known Tuck Rule, which was later eliminated. Brady found David Patten on the next play for a 13-yard pass that set up Adam Vinatieri’s tying field goal and, in overtime, completed eight straight passes to position Vinatieri for the winning field goal that launched a Patriots dynasty.
© AAP
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