Conflicting reports claim Tom Brady is retiring after 22 NFL seasons
ESPN initially reported Brady's pending retirement, but several reporters claim that isn't the case. Below is my article regarding Brady's retirement, although that seems less likely by the minute.
ESPN’s Jeff Darlington and Adam Schefter jointly released news that rocked the football world Saturday afternoon. Tom Brady, Tampa Bay’s 44-year-old quarterback and winner of seven Super Bowls, is retiring.
Brady hinted at retirement earlier this month, saying on his Let’s Go podcast, “I said this a few years ago, it's what relationships are all about. It's not always what I want. It's what we want as a family. And I'm gonna spend a lot of time with them and figure out in the future what's next.”
While he still hasn’t officially retired, some indications point toward the NFL’s all-time leader in pass attempts (11,317), completions (7,263), yards (84,520), and touchdowns (624) hanging up his cleats.
Brady’s agent Don Yee sent Schefter a statement saying, “I understand the advance speculation about Tom’s future. Without getting into the accuracy or inaccuracy of what’s being reported, Tom will be the only person to express his plans with complete accuracy. He knows the realities of the football business and planning calendar as well as anybody, so that should be soon.”
Brady infamously entered the NFL out of Michigan in 2000 as the 199th overall pick. As a sixth-round pick, he projected as a nice insurance plan in case franchise superstar Drew Bledsoe suffered an injury. Brady only attempted three passes as a rookie. In 2001 Jets linebacker Mo Lewis blew up Bledsoe in Week 2, leading to Brady taking the helm and guiding the Patriots to victory in Super Bowl XXXVI. The rest is history.
Brady won six Super Bowls with the New England Patriots and Bill Belichick, forming the longest-lasting dynasty in the modern sports era. For reference, the Pittsburgh Steelers are the only other franchise in history to win six Super Bowl, and they’ve existed since before the championship game’s inception. Brady tied that mark in two decades.
A schism in New England led to Brady joining the Buccaneers last year, when he won his seventh Super Bowl. The California native’s other accolades include three MVPs, five Super Bowl MVPs, two Offensive Player of the Year awards, two All-Decade Team selections, and six total All-Pro teams, including a Second-Team selection this year.
Aside from dominating the career passing charts, Brady set several other records during his 22-year career. His 316 games started and 47 playoff games are records among all positions. Brady also holds postseason records for pass attempts (11,317), completions (7,263), passing yards (Peyton Manning’s 7,339 are second to Brady’s 13,049), and passing touchdowns (624). His 243 regular season wins dwarf second place (Brett Favre and Manning at 186).
Brady signed a one-year extension with the Buccaneers last March that extended his contract through the end of the 2022 season. However, something since then altered the legendary quarterback’s mind about playing into his age 45 season. Brady’s retirement makes the Buccaneers the latest team in need of a new starting quarterback.
Julian Edelman and Mike Evans, two of Brady’s closest friends and best receivers, each posted tweets in reaction to his pending retirement. “Thanks for the memories, babe,” Edelman quipped while Evans wrote, “Thanks for everything big bro it was an honor.”
Brady joins Steelers legend Ben Roethlisberger in the latest crop of longtime quarterbacks to exit the NFL stage. Both become eligible for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2027.
*Editor’s note: Multiple reporters, including Greg Auman, Michael Silver, and Rick Stroud claim Brady contacted Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht since the initial ESPN report to inform him he hasn’t come to a final decision on retirement. Tom Brady Sr. also claims his son isn’t retiring.