Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady has announced, officially this time, that he's retiring from the NFL. Brady is easily one of the most recognized names associated with professional football and in the argument for the greatest quarterback of all time. Brady has tried to continue his career in the NFL even after moving on from the New England Patriots, the team his legendary career will forever be associated with. But the past season appears to have led Brady to the conclusion that it's time to step away from football.The announcement of Tom Brady's retirement is likely to be met with some lighthearted mocking and some well-meaning suspicion. After all, this isn't the first time that Brady has announced his retirement. On February 1, 2022, exactly one year ago, Brady announced he would be retiring. Just 40 days after announcing his retirement, however, Brady reversed his decision and said he'd return to the Buccaneers for another season. A second Brady retirement reversal seems unlikely, but massive contracts can be very persuasive.Brady announced his second retirement publicly on Twitter in an emotional message to his fans. The video, which Brady appears to have recorded himself while sitting on a beach, started off with the NFL quarterback joking about his previous retirement. He said that since his first retirement was a "pretty big process" this time he'd just press record and let his fans know first. Brady says that "you only get one super emotional retirement essay," so he's keeping it simple this time.
Despite his humor, Brady's emotions did end up pouring out during the short video. As he's thanking his fans for supporting him, Brady gets somewhat choked up. He goes on to thank his family, his friends, his teammates, and his competitors for allowing him to "live his absolute dream." He closes out the message by saying that he "wouldn't change a thing" and that he loves his fans.
The video ends with Brady holding back his tears. As every NFL fan is likely very aware, Brady loved football and dedicated himself to the sport uniquely. While he's stepping away from on-field play with his retirement, it wouldn't be surprising to see Brady in a coaching role once he's found his stability.
Between 2000 and 2023, Tom Brady would go to the Super Bowl an astonishing 10 times, win 7 times, and earn Super Bowl MVP 5 times. While his play in the 2022-2023 season may not have matched the quality of years prior, Brady still threw a career-high 733 pass attempts with a career-high 490 completions. Tom Brady's retirement marks the end of a truly legendary NFL career.