Tom Brady turned every NFL game he played into pure excitement when he got the ball in the last minute. And so it was fitting that he took about a minute to announce his Retirement after 23 seasons on Wednesday.
In a 50-second video taken on an iPhone on a beach, Brady say goodbye «for good» and thanked everyone «for allowing me to live my absolute dream.»
He managed a weak smile at the end of the video. But she didn’t seem happy.
He did not say why he is withdrawing. Brady used the quarterback position like DaVinci used the canvas, but this announcement was almost colorless: brief, to the point, and comprehensive.
Tom Brady, I was told, firmly expected to retire by the time the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ season ended with a playoff loss to the Dallas Cowboys on January 16.
He took the last two weeks to think about confirming rather than coming to that decision.
Tom Brady has played in 10 Super Bowls (so far) with an overall record of 7-3. In his Super Bowl losses, Brady lost to the Giants twice and the Philadelphia Eagles in 2018. Pictured: Brady drops a pass in the second half of Super Bowl XLII, where the Patriots lost to the New York Giants 17 -14.
(Donald Miralle/Getty Images)
Tom Brady declined to announce anything amid the excitement of season games. He didn’t want to announce anything and feel different in his heart weeks later. He wanted to be sure this time.
Brady got something of a false start last year when he retired in February and announced his return in March. He didn’t want to repeat that this time.
And that’s not the plan. Tom Brady is done this time.
for good
Brady told Buccaneers front office Wednesday morning. Early.
The club believed he would retire or return for the 2023 season. The club did not think Brady, who is out of contract for next season, would enter free agency.
Rumors that he would be leaving for Las Vegas to join former Raiders offensive coordinator and current coach Josh McDaniels were unrealistic. Brady wants to be on the East Coast, near his children.
Now that he’s gone, let’s clear up what just happened.
The greatest quarterback of all time has left the game.
«Definitely,» JJ Watt said on his Twitter account. «No debate.»
Brady will be eligible to enter the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2028. That’s the necessary five years after retirement.
Super Bowl LIII: New England Patriots QB Tom Brady (12) victorious with Kyle Van Noy (53) after winning the game against the Los Angeles Rams at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Atlanta Georgia.
(Rob Tringali/Sports Illustrated via Getty Images)
And if anyone was ever a first-ballot certainty, he is. Because Brady didn’t just have a Hall of Fame career. It’s like he had three.
Brady essentially had three runs
He won three Super Bowls when he was 20 years old.
He won two Super Bowls and threw for 40,018 passing yards with 309 touchdowns in his 30 years.
And he won two Super Bowls and threw another 193 TDs at age 40.
Tom Brady retires with 649 TD passes, the best mark in the NFL. He is the all-time leader in passing yards with 89,130.
He leaves as the NFL leader in career quarterback wins, regular season quarterback wins, playoff quarterback wins and Super Bowl MVP awards.
He didn’t talk about any of those brands in his 50-second sendoff. He didn’t have to.
The brands speak for themselves.
The race speaks for itself.
The NFL is hampered today with Brady’s retirement. The league knows it.
But as with all great players who leave, soon someone will step up and try to fill the void.
Maybe Patrick Mahomes will. Maybe Joe Burrow or Josh Allen or someone we have no idea comes out of nowhere to fill the huge space that Brady has occupied for more than two decades.
FILE – Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady (12) is interviewed on the field after the NFL Super Bowl 55 football game against the Kansas City Chiefs, in Tampa, Fla., Sunday, Feb. 2021.
(AP Photo/Steve Luciano, File)
Some have always stepped up when greatness descends.
With Tom Brady’s retirement, the void is glaring now. The greatest of all time has just resigned.