Tom Brady Retires At 45, Insisting This Time It’s ‘For Good’

TAMPA, Florida — Tom Brady says he’s done for good this time.

The seven-time Super Bowl champion with New England and Tampa Bay announced his retirement from the NFL on Wednesday, exactly one year after he first said he was done playing. He did this with a short video on social media that was just under one minute long.

Unlike last winter, the most successful quarterback in league history and one of the best athletes in team sports said that his decision was final.

“Good morning, gentlemen. “I’ll get right to the point,” Brady says as the message begins. “I’m calling it quits. For the long haul.”

He briefly retired after the 2021 season but returned to the Buccaneers for one more season. He is 45 years old, and in his 23-year NFL career, he has set nearly every important passing record.

Brady Has Announced His Retirement A Couple of Times

He announced his retirement in a lengthy Instagram post a year ago. Six weeks later, he came back for one more run, saying that he had “unfinished business” after leaving the playoffs early.

The Buccaneers, with whom he won a Super Bowl two seasons ago, made the playoffs again but were eliminated in the first round. And it begged whether Brady would play again at the time.

He answered only a few weeks later.

“I know it was a 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 says in the video. “I won’t go on and on. You get one super emotional retirement essay per year, and I used mine last year.

“I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to everyone for your support. My family, friends, teammates, and rivals. I could go on and on. There are far too many. Thank you for letting me live my absolute dream. I wouldn’t change a single thing. “I adore you all.”

Brady’s Legacy Is Unparalleled

Brady has the most yards passing (89,214) and touchdowns in NFL history (649). He is the only player to have won more than five Super Bowls and been named MVP of the game five times. He also has records for regular-season wins (251), Super Bowl appearances (10), playoff games and wins (48, 35), and playoff yards and touchdowns (13,400). (88).

“In the history of this game, Tom’s legacy is unparalleled. “All of the Super Bowls and statistical records speak for themselves, but it’s the impact he had on so many people over the years that I value the most,” Buccaneer’s general manager Jason Licht said.

“His imprint on this organization helped us reach the summit. We’ll miss him as our quarterback, but I’ll miss him more as a leader and friend,” Licht added. “Our entire organization is grateful to him for what he has done for us over the last three years. We will never forget his victories or accolades, and his influence will be felt for many years.”

Brady announced his retirement one day after attending the Los Angeles premiere of “80 for Brady,” which will be released on Friday. The film follows four lifelong friends, played by Lily Tomlin, Jane Fonda, Rita Moreno, and Sally Field, who attend a Super Bowl to watch Brady play.

He was asked Tuesday night if he felt a connection working with women who don’t want to retire — the four stars’ ages range from 76 to 91.

More Super Bowl Victory

“They’re working hard and enjoying themselves. “It’s fantastic for them,” Brady said. “You know, that’s just what life is about. You have to, you know, get out of bed every day with a purpose. And when you find something you enjoy doing, it isn’t easy to stop. You’re really into it. And there are many aspects that you enjoy. So they bring it even at this age. Watching them on set and seeing how much energy they have is incredible. And I was certainly inspired by them, and I learned a lot from this entire experience.”

Brady was notoriously underrated entering the NFL, having been selected 199th overall by the Patriots in the 2000 draft, ahead of six other quarterbacks, three kickers, and a punter. As a rookie, he appeared in one game and completed one of three passes for six yards.

Everything changed the following year.

Brady took over as the Patriots’ starter, the team won the Super Bowl against the St. Louis Rams, and he and New England coach Bill Belichick were on their way to becoming the most successful coach-QB duo in football history.

He Was As Good As Any Coach Could Hope For

More Super Bowl victories followed the 2003 and 2004 seasons. A decade later, the Patriots won the Super Bowl for the fourth time in Brady’s career to cap the 2014 season, kicking off three more titles in five years.

In his first season with his new team, he added a seventh Super Bowl ring to his collection after signing as a free agent with Tampa Bay in 2020. With Brady at quarterback, the Bucs won 37 games (including playoffs), ranking third in the league over the last three seasons behind Kansas City (46) and Buffalo (41). (41).

“I think I’ve been on the record dozens of times saying there’s no quarterback I’d rather have than Tom Brady, and I still feel that way,” Belichick said in 2021, shortly before Tampa Bay, led by Brady, visited New England and defeated the Patriots in “The Return.” “I was very fortunate to have Tom as the quarterback and to coach him, and he was as good as any coach could hope for.”

In his final season, Brady set league single-season records for completions (490) and pass attempts (733) while throwing for 4,643 yards, 25 touchdowns, and nine interceptions. On the other hand, the Buccaneers finished dead last in rushing offense and struggled to get the ball into the end zone after being forced to rely almost entirely on Brady’s arm.

Brady’s Divorce Changed Things For The Player

After scoring 61 touchdowns in 2021, Tampa Bay fell to 31 last season and averaged just 18.4 points per game, down from more than 30 in Brady’s first two seasons with the Bucs.

With an 8-9 record in Brady’s only losing season as an NFL starter in over two decades, the Buccaneers became just the fourth team in league history to earn a postseason berth despite a losing record in a non-strike year. The offensive struggles continued in a lopsided NFC wild-card round loss to Dallas.

Brady won three NFL MVP awards, was a three-time first-team All-Pro and was selected to the Pro Bowl 15 times.

Brady and model Gisele Bündchen divorced last fall during the Buccaneers’ season. It marked the end of a 13-year marriage between two football and fashion superstars who had reached the pinnacle of their respective careers.

Last year, it was announced that Brady would join Fox Sports as a television analyst in a 10-year, $375 million contract when he retires from football.

SOURCE  – (AP)