Tom Brady Has Officially Retired At 45 He Is The G O A T

Bonisiwe Shabane

-Dec 11, 2025, 7:40 PM

tom brady has officially retired at 45 he is the g o a t

Tom Brady, widely considered the greatest quarterback in NFL history, officially announced his retirement in an Instagram post on Tuesday after days of rumors and confusion about the timing of the end to his... "This is difficult for me to write, but here it goes: I am not going to make that competitive commitment anymore," Brady wrote. "I have loved my NFL career, and now it is time to focus my time and energy on other things that require my attention." I am so proud of what we have achieved ... but right now, it's best I leave the field of play to the next generation Brady, 44, is hanging it up after 22 seasons and a record seven Super Bowl titles.

He spent the first 20 seasons with the New England Patriots, winning six Super Bowls. He played his last two seasons for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, capturing a final Super Bowl ring in 2021. "I've done a lot of reflecting this past week and have asked myself difficult questions," he wrote. "And I am so proud of what we have achieved. My teammates, coaches, fellow competitors, and fans deserve 100% of me, but right now, it's best I leave the field of play to the next generation of dedicated and committed athletes." Tom Brady #12 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers looks on during a preseason game against the Tennessee Titans at Raymond James Stadium on August 21, 2021 in Tampa, Florida.

(Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images) TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — 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 Wednesday morning, a brief video lasting just under one... “Good morning guys. I’ll get to the point right away,” Brady says as the message begins.

“I’m retiring. For good.” RELATED: Best-Selling Book Reveals Tom Brady Was ‘Courted’ By BYU Football Tom Brady says he's retiring again. And this time it's for real. Brady posted a video to social media Wednesday morning announcing his retirement for the second time.

He retired after the 2021 season but reversed course six weeks later. Wednesday, he said he was done for good. "Good morning, guys, I’ll get to the point right away. I’m retiring for good,” Brady said. “I know the process was a pretty big deal last time, so when I woke up this morning I figured I just press record and let you guys know first. I won’t be long-winded.

You only get one super-emotional retirement essay, and I used mine up last year.” Brady leaves football with the most Super Bowls of any player in NFL history and will be a surefire first-ballot Pro Football Hall of Fame member. He’s the NFL’s all-time leader in passing yards, passing touchdowns and QB wins in both the regular season and postseason. Brady’s teams went to 10 Super Bowls and won seven of them. Six of those victories came with the New England Patriots while his final Super Bowl win in February 2021 came with the Bucs. Future Hall of Fame quarterback Tom Brady is inarguably the G.O.A.T.

(Greatest of All Time) in the sport of football. The Tampa Bay Buccaneer firmly cemented his legacy (yet again) during Super Bowl LV, in which the team beat the favored Patrick Mahomes and Kansas City Chiefs 31 to 9. As always, never bet against TB12. But, aside from his impressive Super Bowl ring collection (he now boasts seven), sports fans and athletes are amazed by Tom's mastery of the game at his age. Since professional football is a contact sport that requires players to be at the top of their game, many NFL athletes typically retire in their 30s. However, No.

12 is the exception to this rule and has played at a top level throughout the first half of his forties. So, when is Tom retiring? After retiring in 2022 — and then unretiring for the season — Tom has now officially hung up his jersey in 2023. Keep reading to find out what he had to say. A call back to last year — when he retired on Feb. 1, 2022, via a lengthy Instagram message, and then unretired just weeks later — Tom took to the social media platform in January 2023 to officially retire "for good."

Retirement is a huge life choice for people, especially pro athletes. For those who are lucky enough to play a sport for a living and make tremendous money, retirement marks the end of one chapter of life, and afterward, one is in search of something... Tom Brady had as great and successful a career as any athlete ever has. The legendary quarterback led the New England Patriots to six Super Bowl championships, and after leaving them, he immediately won a seventh Vince Lombardi Trophy with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He retired after the 2022 season, which was his 23rd in the NFL. Brady could've retired quite a bit sooner than he did, especially after a rift that grew between him and former Patriots coach Bill Belichick in the late 2010s.

But he admitted in his "199" newsletter that he continued playing in order to be of service to his teammates. "I spent some time with Jerry Rice recently, which is always a little surreal having grown up in the Bay Area idolizing his Niners teams," Brady wrote. "We got to talking about our careers, as guys who played longer than anyone else at our respective positions, and Jerry said something that really resonated with me. The thing that kept him going all those years, at such a high level, was the desire to never let his teammates down. I felt the exact same way. It's what motivated me for 23 seasons and what drove me to prep, practice, and play the way I did every day.

More than money, more than accolades, more even than winning when I really step back to think about it." Read more: Tom Brady Was Seen in Raiders' Coaching Booth During Chargers Game Tom Brady is calling it a career once again. This time around, it's for real and marks the last time we'll see the seven-time Super Bowl champion and five-time Super Bowl MVP in a helmet and shoulder pads. Brady proclaimed that he'll be stepping away from the game after 23 seasons on Feb. 1 a few weeks following Tampa Bay's playoff loss to the Dallas Cowboys to wrap up Super Wild Card Weekend.

On Friday, he backed up his words with action, filing a letter with the NFL and the NFL Players' Association to solidify the conclusion of his football playing career, according to ESPN. The 45-year-old will officially be eligible to be enshrined as a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2028. Brady said he plans to start his the next chapter of his life, his broadcasting career, with Fox Sports in "fall of 2024." "I'll get to the point: I'm retiring for good," Brady said in a post on Feb. 1. "Thank you guys for allowing me to live my absolute dream.

I wouldn't change a thing." Truly grateful on this day. Thank you 🙏🏻❤️ pic.twitter.com/j2s2sezvSS Of course, this isn't the first time that Brady has walked away from the game. Exactly one year ago from this announcement, the now-45-year-old quarterback initially announced his retirement, but then rescinded that move, calling off his retirement just forty days later saying that his "place is still on... Tom Brady has officially retired from the National Football League after 23 seasons.

The quarterback — often referred to as the GOAT — took to Instagram on Wednesday (Feb. 1) to relay his news to his fans. Brady, 45, can be seen in the video looking saddened by his revelation, but ultimately decided he had to hang up his helmet “for good.” Tom’s speech also referenced his premature retirement announcement that... 1, 2022. “Good morning, guys,” Brady expressed. “I’ll get to the point right away.

I’m retiring … for good,” Brady articulated to the camera. “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 I’d let you guys know first. It won’t be long-winded. You only get one super emotional retirement essay and I used mine up last year. “So I really thank you guys so much. To every single one of you for supporting me: My family, my friends, my 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. I love you all.” According to ESPN, the San Mateo, Calif. -native told the Tampa Bay Buccaneers his decision to walk away from the game at 6 AM EST on Wednesday.

Tom Brady announced his retirement Wednesday morning after winning seven Super Bowls, five Super Bowl MVP awards and three league MVP honors in 23 seasons with the New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In a video via his Twitter account, Brady said "I'm retiring. For good." The quarterback announced his retirement last year only to decide to return to the Bucs for what was eventually his final season. The live blog from The Athletic follows news, coverage, reaction and more surrounding Brady's retirement and even a look back at the quarterback's greatest moments. Tom Brady's "first" retirement came 365 days ago — on Feb. 1, 2022.

Tom Brady Has Officially Retired At 45 He Is The G O A T

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