Tom Brady is retiring -- for real this time.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback made his short and sweet -- yet emotional -- announcement on Wednesday via social media, bringing an end to a historic 23-year career.
Truly grateful on this day. Thank you 🙏🏻❤️ pic.twitter.com/j2s2sezvSS
— Tom Brady (@TomBrady) February 1, 2023
"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," Brady said, referring to his 40-day retirement saga at the beginning of last year. "I won't be long-winded. You only get one super emotional retirement essay, and I used mine up last year, so really thank you guys so much to every single one of you for supporting me."
To put into perspective just how long he has been in the NFL, the last time there was a professional football season that did not feature Brady (1999), only three of Pixar’s 26 movies were made, the Backstreet Boys were the number one music group of the year, and I wasn't born yet. To make things even crazier, Brady - aged 45 - has spent roughly half his life in the NFL.
Over 23 seasons split between the Bucs and New England Patriots, Brady amassed a list of records unparalleled in NFL history. His records and accomplishments include, but are not limited too:
Most career Super Bowl wins - seven
Most career Super Bowl appearances - 10
Most Super Bowl MVP awards - five
Youngest and oldest quarterback to win a Super Bowl
Most regular season wins - 251
Most playoff wins - 35
Most career passing yards - 89,214
Most career passing touchdowns - 649
Most career Pro Bowl selections - 15
Most game-winning drives - 58
Most fourth quarter comebacks - 46
Three-time AP regular season MVP…
And on and on. You get the picture, this guy was insane on the football field.
He was no slouch in his final season either. While the Buccaneers barely eked into the playoffs with an 8-9 record and lost to the Dallas Cowboys in the first round, Brady finished the season with 25 passing touchdowns and 4,694 passing yards, the latter of which was third-best in the league.
We may never see another football player who played at an elite level for as long as Brady did. He is unequivocally and undisputedly the greatest quarterback - and arguably, football player -- to ever suit up.
