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The greatest NFL player of all time is calling it a career.
Tom Brady is retiring after 22 years in the NFL, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported Saturday.
ESPN first reported the news.
The 44-year-old walks away after the most prolific career in football history.
Brady was famously selected in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft, 199th overall by the New England Patriots. Sporting an unparalleled competitive drive, the QB used that draft status to fuel his Hall of Fame career.
Brady took over as the full-time starter in New England during his second NFL season, and the rest, as they say, is history.
TB12 walks away with a trophy case overflowing with awards.
Brady ends his career as a seven-time Super Bowl champion, three-time NFL MVP, five-time Super Bowl MVP, two-time NFL Offensive Player of the Year, three-time first-team All-Pro honoree, three-time second-team All-Pro, 15-time Pro Bowler and 2009 Comeback Player of the Year winner. He was named to the NFL's 2000s All-Decade Team, the 2010s All-Decade Team and the NFL's 100th Anniversary All-Time Team.
It might be easier to list the quarterbacking records Brady doesn't own at this point.
The G.O.A.T. ranks No. 1 in NFL history in completions (7,263), pass attempts (11,317), yards (84,520), pass TDs (624), starts (316), QB wins (243), Pro Bowl nods (15), and Super Bowl MVPs (5). In addition, Brady led the NFL in TD passes five times (2002, 2007, 2010, 2015, 2021), most such seasons by any player in NFL history.
If an athlete's legacy is evaluated by postseason performances, not a single football player can hold a candle to Brady. No QB comes remotely close to his playoff success. In his 22-year career, Brady made 19 appearances, started 47 games, earned 35 wins, 10 Super Bowl appearances, 7 Super Bowl wins, 1,165 postseason completions, 13,049 postseason pass yards, 86 postseason passing TDs, 14 game-winning drives, and nine 4th quarter comebacks, all most in NFL history.
No player in league history has defined winning like Thomas Edward Patrick Brady Jr.
A slow, famously doughy quarterback coming out of the University of Michigan, Brady's tenacity and drive to win chiseled him into the greatest player in the NFL. He might not have been the most athletically gifted ever to set foot on the gridiron, but no player worked harder before the snap or controlled the game mentally like Brady. As a result, the sage QB often won a play before the ball was even snapped.
That's not to suggest Brady didn't possess other-worldly talent as well. Throughout his career, he defied pass rushers with the most subtle pocket movement that gave him just enough space to complete the pass -- a trait that frustrated defenders for two decades. Moreover, he never lost the pinpoint accuracy that defined his career. And his deep ball was just as pretty when he was lighting up the scoreboard to Randy Moss as it was on the final TD pass of his career -- a gorgeous 55-yarder to Mike Evans.
Brady was a winner from start to finish. His worst record as a starter was 9-7, in just his third year in the NFL. For his career, he's gone 243-73-0 with the Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
A 20-year career in New England brought Brady six Super Bowls and the G.O.A.T. title. TB12 and Bill Belichick formed the most successful QB-coach duo in the Super Bowl era.
But after the 2019 season, Brady set out to prove he could still win outside of New England.
Prove it, he did.
A free agent for the first time in his career, Brady signed in Tampa Bay in 2020. He immediately turned a talented but flawed club, which hadn't been to the postseason in 12 seasons, into a winner. Brady led the Bucs to a Super Bowl championship in his first season in Tampa. The victory washed away any questions about whether TB12 was simply a byproduct of Belichick's system and cemented his status as the G.O.A.T.
Brady often discussed his desire to play until he was 45. He retires one year short of that stated goal.
At 44 years old, Brady displayed zero signs of decline in 2021 as he led the NFL in passing yards (5,316), pass TDs (43) and completions (485). Brady also spearheaded the Bucs to their first NFC South division title since 2007 despite a rash of injuries across the roster. The G.O.A.T. nearly drove the Bucs to a miraculous playoff comeback win, surging from a 27-3 deficit to tie the game in the fourth quarter Sunday against the Los Angeles Rams in the Divisional Round. But a late defensive collapse opened the door for L.A. to kick a game-winning field goal in what ends up Brady's final NFL game.
Many QBs fall off a cliff late in their careers. Not Brady.
The man who stiff-armed Father Time his entire career once again got the last laugh as he walks away still at the top of his game, on his own terms.
www.nfl.com
Tom Brady is retiring after 22 years in the NFL, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported Saturday.
ESPN first reported the news.
The 44-year-old walks away after the most prolific career in football history.
Brady was famously selected in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft, 199th overall by the New England Patriots. Sporting an unparalleled competitive drive, the QB used that draft status to fuel his Hall of Fame career.
Brady took over as the full-time starter in New England during his second NFL season, and the rest, as they say, is history.
TB12 walks away with a trophy case overflowing with awards.
Brady ends his career as a seven-time Super Bowl champion, three-time NFL MVP, five-time Super Bowl MVP, two-time NFL Offensive Player of the Year, three-time first-team All-Pro honoree, three-time second-team All-Pro, 15-time Pro Bowler and 2009 Comeback Player of the Year winner. He was named to the NFL's 2000s All-Decade Team, the 2010s All-Decade Team and the NFL's 100th Anniversary All-Time Team.
It might be easier to list the quarterbacking records Brady doesn't own at this point.
The G.O.A.T. ranks No. 1 in NFL history in completions (7,263), pass attempts (11,317), yards (84,520), pass TDs (624), starts (316), QB wins (243), Pro Bowl nods (15), and Super Bowl MVPs (5). In addition, Brady led the NFL in TD passes five times (2002, 2007, 2010, 2015, 2021), most such seasons by any player in NFL history.
If an athlete's legacy is evaluated by postseason performances, not a single football player can hold a candle to Brady. No QB comes remotely close to his playoff success. In his 22-year career, Brady made 19 appearances, started 47 games, earned 35 wins, 10 Super Bowl appearances, 7 Super Bowl wins, 1,165 postseason completions, 13,049 postseason pass yards, 86 postseason passing TDs, 14 game-winning drives, and nine 4th quarter comebacks, all most in NFL history.
No player in league history has defined winning like Thomas Edward Patrick Brady Jr.
A slow, famously doughy quarterback coming out of the University of Michigan, Brady's tenacity and drive to win chiseled him into the greatest player in the NFL. He might not have been the most athletically gifted ever to set foot on the gridiron, but no player worked harder before the snap or controlled the game mentally like Brady. As a result, the sage QB often won a play before the ball was even snapped.
That's not to suggest Brady didn't possess other-worldly talent as well. Throughout his career, he defied pass rushers with the most subtle pocket movement that gave him just enough space to complete the pass -- a trait that frustrated defenders for two decades. Moreover, he never lost the pinpoint accuracy that defined his career. And his deep ball was just as pretty when he was lighting up the scoreboard to Randy Moss as it was on the final TD pass of his career -- a gorgeous 55-yarder to Mike Evans.
Brady was a winner from start to finish. His worst record as a starter was 9-7, in just his third year in the NFL. For his career, he's gone 243-73-0 with the Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
A 20-year career in New England brought Brady six Super Bowls and the G.O.A.T. title. TB12 and Bill Belichick formed the most successful QB-coach duo in the Super Bowl era.
But after the 2019 season, Brady set out to prove he could still win outside of New England.
Prove it, he did.
A free agent for the first time in his career, Brady signed in Tampa Bay in 2020. He immediately turned a talented but flawed club, which hadn't been to the postseason in 12 seasons, into a winner. Brady led the Bucs to a Super Bowl championship in his first season in Tampa. The victory washed away any questions about whether TB12 was simply a byproduct of Belichick's system and cemented his status as the G.O.A.T.
Brady often discussed his desire to play until he was 45. He retires one year short of that stated goal.
At 44 years old, Brady displayed zero signs of decline in 2021 as he led the NFL in passing yards (5,316), pass TDs (43) and completions (485). Brady also spearheaded the Bucs to their first NFC South division title since 2007 despite a rash of injuries across the roster. The G.O.A.T. nearly drove the Bucs to a miraculous playoff comeback win, surging from a 27-3 deficit to tie the game in the fourth quarter Sunday against the Los Angeles Rams in the Divisional Round. But a late defensive collapse opened the door for L.A. to kick a game-winning field goal in what ends up Brady's final NFL game.
Many QBs fall off a cliff late in their careers. Not Brady.
The man who stiff-armed Father Time his entire career once again got the last laugh as he walks away still at the top of his game, on his own terms.
Buccaneers QB Tom Brady planning to retire from NFL after 22 seasons
Tom Brady is planning to retire after 22 seasons in the NFL and a league-record seven Super Bowl titles, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reports.
www.nfl.com
