After 23 seasons in the NFL, legendary quarterback Tom Brady announced on Wednesday morning that he is retiring from the game of football “for good.”
Truly grateful on this day. Thank you 🙏🏻❤️ pic.twitter.com/j2s2sezvSS
— Tom Brady (@TomBrady) February 1, 2023
“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 an emotional tone. “I won’t be long-winded. You only get one super emotional retirement essay, and I used mine up last year, so really thank you guys so much to every single one of you for supporting me.”
Of course, plenty of people will remember when Brady announced his retirement last year. He eventually came back and rejoined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for a 23rd NFL season. Interestingly enough, both of his retirement announcements came exactly one year apart.
Brady retires as arguably the greatest signal-caller of all time. During his career, he threw for 89,214 yards and 649 touchdowns while completing 64.3 percent of his passes.
He was named to the Pro Bowl 15 times, won seven Super Bowls and was named league MVP three times. Those are just some of his incredible accomplishments.
Though he ended his career with the Buccaneers, the University of Michigan product will be remembered by many for his successful and lengthy tenure with the New England Patriots.
He was drafted by the Patriots in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft and went on to help the franchise win a whopping six Super Bowls in 20 seasons.
The 45-year-old didn’t have a spectacular showing in the 2022 campaign, as he only threw 25 touchdowns and could only lead the Buccaneers to an 8-9 record. While they won their division and made it to the playoffs, they were completely outmatched against the Dallas Cowboys and lost 31-14 in their wild-card game.
Brady’s 2022 season left many wondering whether or not he had made the wrong choice in not staying retired. Prior to Brady’s retirement announcement on Wednesday, plenty of fans were speculating about what he would do.
He was linked to teams like the Las Vegas Raiders and Miami Dolphins, but according to a Wednesday report, Brady was either going to retire or play for the Bucs in 2023.
Tom Brady informed Bucs today at 6 am he’d be retiring. One aspect I’d been mentioning for a bit now: Brady for months implied to many close to him that it was going to be either a return to Tampa or retirement. Tough for many to believe, including those close, but he meant it.
— Jeff Darlington (@JeffDarlington) February 1, 2023
With the uncertainty regarding Brady’s future now over, fans can take some time to appreciate everything he gave to the game over the years.
