Tom Brady’s retirement was the story of the NFL offseason last year because the longtime, Super Bowl-winning quarterback announced his retirement and not long after, took it back.
Brady said he didn’t feel right about leaving and decided to come back for at least one more season.
Now, we know that Brady’s 2022 season was the last one. He announced on his Twitter via a selfie video on Wednesday morning that he won’t be coming back for a 2023 season.
“Good morning guys, I’ll get to the point right away. I’m retiring. For good. 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 let you guys know first. So I won’t be long-winded, you only get one super emotional long 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. Love you all.”
Ironically, it’s exactly a year after he announced his retirement the first time. The video, in which Brady got a little choked up, can be viewed here:
The video was particularly personal and intimate, given that the premiere of the film he starred in based in part on him, 80 for Brady was just the night before when he could have announced in front of present media his decision for the future.
Apparently, Brady informed the Bucs of his decision at 6 a.m. before sharing with the public just after 8 a.m. ET.
Tom Brady’s final season was not one he hoped for
Every year that Brady played, his aim was a Super Bowl. His 7 Super Bowl rings are the most of any player in NFL history and actually bests the most for any one franchise (six, Steelers and Patriots).
Brady also has the most career wins with 251, 30 ahead of the runner-up Adam Vinatieri and far more than the runner-up QB (Brett Favre, 188). He also leads the league in passing yards and passing touchdowns in both the regular season and the playoffs.
But 2022 was one to forget. It was the first losing season he was a part of as a starting quarterback. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers benefited from being in a bad division and qualified for the postseason, but they were embarrassed in the Wild Card round by the Dallas Cowboys, who went on to get trounced the next round.
Brady didn’t go out on top, but he is definitively the GOAT. While other quarterbacks — like Patrick Mahomes — look like they could someday take that title, for now, he stands alone.