Tom Brady S Retirement Announcement Was A Fitting End To Qb S Long

Bonisiwe Shabane

-Dec 13, 2025, 10:51 AM

tom brady s retirement announcement was a fitting end to qb s long

With Tom Brady announcing his retirement after 23 seasons in the NFL, take a look at some of the all-time-great QB’s career regular season, playoff and Super Bowl NFL records. In a way, that’s natural. It was the longest career any non-kicker ever had. So as Tom Brady pressed on in an ultra-marathon of excellence and championships, retrospectives and appreciations co-mingled with speculation about "how much longer?" Frankly, it got exhausting attempting to "put into context" a lifetime in the NFL beyond compare. Especially when the kid just kept adding to it and adding to it.

Subscribe to NBC Sports Boston's podcast network to hear our Insiders bring you the latest insights on your favorite teams! For folks in New England, this is the third time we’ve been compelled to take stock of what the greatest player in NFL history personally meant. At around 6 a.m. ET Wednesday morning, one of greatest careers in professional sports history came to an end. Roughly two hours after informing his former team, Tom Brady then told the public that he was indeed calling it quits after a legendary, 23-year career as an NFL quarterback. By playing the 2022 season, Brady accomplished his goal of playing at age 45.

While it wasn't his best season, Brady still managed to make history; he led the NFL in pass attempts and completions while completing a career-high 490 passes. Brady's play helped lead the Buccaneers to a division title while giving him a chance to fittingly end his career in the postseason. There's a lot to unpack following the news of Brady's retirement, including the biggest winners and losers following the bombshell announcement. Here's a look at who benefits the most and least from Brady's retirement. Brady, who fought back tears in his retirement video, obviously didn't want his fabled career to end. But the fact that he was able to retire on his own terms should serve as a consolation prize considering many careers don't end that way.

Brady also walks away without having tarnished his legacy. Sure, Brady's 2021 season was better and, should have he remained retired last year, the final image of his career would have been his epic comeback attempt against the Rams in last year's postseason... But Brady did nothing to negatively impact his legacy this season, and by playing at age 45, he was able to check off one of his biggest goals. It's always hard to walk away from the game — especially if you're one of the game's all-time greats. Tom Brady did just that in 2022 after an illustrious career, playing 23 seasons in the NFL and 20 with the New England Patriots, where he won six Super Bowl rings. Tampa Bay Buccaneers fans will, of course, remember him for his short three-year stint with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, where he won a Super Bowl ring in 2020 and then helped the Bucs to...

2022 was a tougher year for the Bucs, though, going 8-9 and then being definitively bounced by the Dallas Cowboys in the Wild Card round, and that was it for Brady. He called it quits, retiring from football and leaving the Buccaneers to find his successor, who would end up being current Bucs gunslinger Baker Mayfield. Truly grateful on this day. Thank you 🙏🏻❤️ pic.twitter.com/j2s2sezvSS Brady recently appeared on WWE star and social media personality Logan Paul's podcast, Impaulsive, and he was asked about his retirement process after playing for the Buccaneers at the end of his career. He opened up about his mental state at the time, mentioning the struggle of having to walk away from your profession when others don't have to in other life pursuits.

After news broke last Saturday that the quarterback was planning to hang up his cleats, Brady’s father, Tom Brady Sr., and his agent denied the reports. However, the greatest quarterback of all-time announced on Tuesday morning — via a lengthy Instagram post — that he has decided to retire from the NFL and focus his energy elsewhere. “I have always believed the sport of football is an ‘all-in’ proposition — if a 100% competitive commitment isn't there, you won't succeed, and success is what I love so much about our game,”... “There is a physical, mental, and emotional challenge EVERY single day that has allowed me to maximize my highest potential. And I have tried my very best these past 22 years. There are no shortcuts to success on the field or in life.

“This is difficult for me to write, but here it goes: I am not going to make that competitive commitment anymore. I have loved my NFL career, and now it is time to focus my time and energy on other things that require my attention.” Brady’s 22-year NFL career will go down as the best in NFL history. The Patriots' 2000 sixth-round pick finishes this legendary run with seven Super Bowl titles — six with New England and one with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Brady, 44, finishes a historic run with an NFL record five Super Bowl MVPs to go with 15 Pro Bowls, three NFL MVP awards and the 2009 NFL Comeback Player of the Year. Brady has won more NFL championships than anyone in history.

He also leaves the game with a laundry list of records that includes the most games won (277), most combined passing yards (96,969), most combined touchdown passes (707), most game-winning drives (67) and most... A lot can change in two-plus decades. These Patriots fans and some NFL fixtures speak to that. How Tom Brady's retirement resets NFL QB market, sets stage for Aaron Rodgers, Derek Carr Pompei: Tom Brady beat everyone and everything, even time Kyle Shanahan defends 49ers' QB usage, is confident in Brock Purdy, Trey Lance

Tafur: Tom Brady's retirement eliminates a Raiders' option, even if it wasn't a great one Subscribe to The St. Louis American‘s free weekly newsletter for critical stories, community voices, and insights that matter. NFL quarterback Tom Brady took to Instagram Tuesday morning to announce his retirement after 22 seasons. “This is difficult for me to write, but here it goes: I am not going to make that competitive commitment anymore,” Brady said in a lengthy post where he thanks family, friends, fans, coaches... “ I have loved my NFL career and now it is time to focus my time and energy on other things that require my attention.”

The news came a day after Brady, 44, said on the “Let’s Go” Podcast that he was still mulling the decision to hang up his cleats. The seven-time Super Bowl champion retires after the Buccaneers were eliminated from the NFL playoffs by the Los Angeles Rams. The defeat came a year after the Buccaneers beat the Chiefs in the Super Bowl in Brady’s first season in Tampa Bay after spending 20 years with the New England Patriots. Tom Brady announced that he is retiring from the NFL once again. But this time, the legendary quarterback says it's "for good." Brady's announcement came on social media, where he posted a 53-second clip Wednesday that revealed his decision.

"I know the process was a pretty big deal last time," Brady said of his retirement, "So when I woke up this morning, I figured I'd just press record and let you guys know... So, won't be long-winded. You only get one super emotional retirement essay and I used mine up last year." Truly grateful on this day. Thank you 🙏🏻❤️ pic.twitter.com/j2s2sezvSS SN RUSHMORE: Brady has his spot among Boston legends

Tom Brady’s NFL career has come to an end. The former New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback went to social media on Tuesday morning to announce his retirement from the NFL. This comes after multiple reports came out over the weekend saying that Brady was planning to retire. “I have always believed the sport of football is an ‘all-in’ proposition — if a 100% competitive commitment isn’t there, you won’t succeed, and success is what I love so much about our game,”... “There is a physical, mental and emotional challenge EVERY single day that has allowed me to maximize my highest potential. And I have tried my very best these past 22 years.

There are no shortcuts to success on the field or in life. “This is difficult for me to write, but here it goes: I am not going to make that competitive commitment anymore. 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’ve done a lot of reflecting the past week and have asked myself difficult questions. And I am so proud of what we have achieved.” Here’s a look at social media reacting to Brady retiring. Tom Brady officially retires.

Among his posts… pic.twitter.com/o9GqgRKsoO One fan jokingly said: “No way he’s a hall of famer dude played 22 years and only has 7 rings? What happened to the other 15 years he’s gonna have to do a lot more.”

Tom Brady S Retirement Announcement Was A Fitting End To Qb S Long

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