‘For Real': New York Football Nemesis Retires for Second Time, But is He Done?
On February 1, 2022, NFL superstar Tom Brady shocked the world by announcing his retirement from professional football.
That decision lasted roughly 41 days, before Brady announced his return to the NFL with his then-former team, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The last 365 days have been nothing short of brutal for Brady and his family, yet when Tampa Bay was officially eliminated from playoff contention, there wasn't a great deal of speculation about TB12's future in football.
That all changed this morning.
Tom Brady Announces Second Retirement from Professional Football
Exactly one year after his first go-around with retirement, NFL star quarterback (and New York football nemesis) Tom Brady has once again announced that he is retiring from the National Football League. This time, however, Brady states that his decision is for real, implying that there will be no sudden return of the G.O.A.T. later this offseason.
Brady broke the news himself via a social media video:
As mentioned previously, this announcement comes exactly one year to the day after Brady confirmed he was retiring for the first time. Here is the first of a string of tweets posted announcing the news last year:
Last year's announcement wasn't "breaking news" like it is this year, however, as ESPN's Adam Schefter shared the news days earlier via this tweet:
That tweet was posted on January 29, 2022, and it wasn't until February 1st that Brady acknowledged that Schefter's reporting had been correct.
All of that ended up being for naught, however, as on March 13, 2022, Brady posted on social media that he had changed his mind from his original decision, and would be making a return to football, and to Tampa Bay, for the upcoming season.
That announcement is likely the high point of what would turn into a terrible 365 days for Tom Brady, and the Brady family.
During training camp, it was announced that Brady was taking some time away from the team, and would be returning closer to the beginning of the regular season. The absence lasted 11 days, and was later revealed to have been done in order to spend time with his family, and his wife, Gisele Bündchen.
Then, in October, we learned that Tom and Gisele were separating, with Bundchen then filing for divorce, and Brady was not contesting the decision. The two were said to have a marriage that was "irretrievably broken" according to reports, a heartbreaking twist to an already strenuous year.
From there, the focus seemed returned to football, where on the gridiron, Brady was having another strong statistical season. The issue, however, was that the team around him in Tampa was a shell of itself compared to two seasons ago.
Not only that, but based on the string of firings that would happen following Tampa's elimination at the hands of the Dallas Cowboys, it seemed as though the coaching staff was not helping the situation, either.
When you add it all up; 45 years of age, a first round playoff exit after an 8-9 season, an expiring contract, and a team in Tampa Bay that will be $55 million over the salary cap heading into next season; Tom Brady's decision makes a lot of sense.
Now, let's add up a few more things. These are the NFL regular season records that Tom Brady holds, per NBC Sports:
- Games started (316)
- Wins by a starting quarterback (243)
- Passing yards (84,520)
- Passing touchdowns (624)
- Completions (7,263)
- Touchdowns thrown to different receivers (82)
- Division titles (18)
- Pro Bowl appearances (15)
- Oldest player to win NFL MVP (40 years old)
- Oldest player to be named First-Team All-Pro (40 years old)
- Seasons with one team (20, Patriots)
- Only player to beat all 32 NFL teams
Now, these are his postseason records:
- Games started (47)
- Wins by a starting quarterback (35)
- Consecutive playoff wins (10, from 2001-2005)
- Passing yards (13,049)
- Passing yards in a game (505)
- Passing touchdowns (86)
- Interceptions (38)
- Completions (1,165)
- Multi-touchdown passing games (27)
- Game-winning drives (14)
- Conference championship appearances (14)
- Conference championship wins (10)
Last, but certainly not least, are his Super Bowl records:
- Super Bowl appearances (10)
- Super Bowl wins (7, more than any NFL franchise)
- Super Bowl MVPs (5)
- Touchdown passes (21)
- Passing yards (3,039)
- Completions (277)
- Pass attempts (421)
- Passing yards in a game (505)
- Completions in a game (43)
- Pass attempts in a game (62)
- Game-winning drives (6)
The resume has, and always will, speak for itself. As a fan of the New York Giants, I never rooted for Tom Brady while he was playing. That being said, I always had the utmost respect for him, and consider myself lucky to have grown up in the Tom Brady era in the NFL.
Do I think he'll make another comeback? No, I honestly don't. Given how much turmoil he's gone through since he un-retired in March, it appears as though this announcement will truly be his final. He'll head to the Fox broadcast booth, make millions of dollars as a color analyst, and hopefully, spend some much-needed time with his family.
Congratulations to the G.O.A.T. on a heck of a career.