Tom Brady has officially announced that he is retiring from the NFL. His announcement follows reports made last week that the greatest player in the history of the NFL has retired from playing professional football. However, Brady later denied those reports were true, probably feeling he needed to break the news to the world himself. And he has done that now.
Must Be All-In to Continue Playing
The seven-time Super Bowl winner wrote on Instagram that he was no longer able to commit himself competitively 100% to the sport he loved and that it was time to call it a day on his illustrious career.
A day before making his announcement, Brady said on his podcast that he was taking things one day at a time and that he was still in the process of making a decision regarding retirement. He wrote something similar on his Twitter on Tuesday morning saying that what his days will look like was “a work in progress.”
In his Instagram post, though, Brady was more candid and said that he believed he should only stay in football if he was ‘all-in.’ If that commitment wasn’t there, he wrote that he would have never succeeded in his career.
The 44-year old added that he faced physical, mental, and emotional challenges every day and that those challenges made him maximize his potential. Brady went on to say that he had tried his best in the 22 years he spent in the NFL, adding that there were no shortcuts to being successful, both in football and in life.
It’s Official This Time
Fans hoping that Brady would keep on playing might feel encouraged that he didn’t mention the words retire or retirement in his post. However, in his next sentence, he left very little room for speculation as to what will happen next.
Brady made it very clear that the Bucs’ defeat to the LA Rams in the NFL Divisional Round was indeed his last game as a player:
“This is difficult for me to write, but here it goes: I am not going to make that competitive commitment anymore.”
Not making the competitive commitment that kept him going throughout his career is a clear indicator that Brady has announced his retirement.
The quarterback finished his announcement by saying that he loved playing in the NFL and that the time had come for him to focus his “time and energy on other things” that required his attention.
Achieved What No Other Player Could
Tom Brady has won the most Super Bowls in the history of the NFL, seven, and will definitely get inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame the moment he becomes eligible in five-years-time.
The quarterback probably would have wanted to end his career with another Super Bowl ring, his eighth, but the LA Rams stood in his way. The fact he almost guided the Bucs to a remarkable comeback after trailing 27-3, speaks volumes about his ability and athleticism even at the ripe age of 44.
Even at 44, Brady’s performances didn’t dip and his numbers didn’t drop. In 2021, he was 485-of-719 passing for 5,319 yards. He notched 43 touchdowns and led the league in yards, completions, attempts, and touchdowns this season.
He currently leads NFL’s all-time charts in passing yards and passing touchdowns, and also has notched the most wins as a quarterback in regular and playoff games. And while most players dream of making an appearance in the Super Bowl, Brady has ten Super Bowl outings and has won seven Vince Lombardi trophies.
However, even with Brady’s playing days now officially being over, he can still win one more award. Brady can win the NFL MVP award, his fourth, and will probably finish in the top two together with Aaron Rodgers. If he wins, he will only be one MVP award behind Peyton Manning who has five. Not the end he was hoping for, but still better than how most NFL players will end their playing careers.
