Tom Brady announces retirement from the NFL

Tom Brady announced his retirement from the NFL on Tuesday. The greatest ever quarterback confirmed on his Instagram that he would be retiring after playing 22 seasons and winning 7 Super Bowl Championships.

Writing on Insta, Brady said:

“I’ve done a lot of reflecting the past week and have asked myself difficult questions,” Brady wrote in part of his lengthy message. “And I am so proud of what we have achieved. My teammates, coaches, fellow competitors, and fans deserve 100% of me, but right now, it’s best I leave the field of play to the next generation of dedicated and committed athletes.

“To my Bucs teammates the past two years, I love you guys, and I have loved going to battle with you. You have dug so deep to challenge yourself, and it inspired me to wake up every day and give you my best. I am always here for you guys and want to see you continue to push yourselves to be your best. I couldn’t be happier with what we accomplished together.”

Brady, who played for 20 seasons with the New England Patriots, spent his last two seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the decision to retire comes on the heels of a loss to the Los Angeles Rams in the playoffs. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said Brady “will be remembered as one of the greatest to ever play in the NFL.”

A Northern California native, Brady was selected with the 199th pick of the 2000 NFL Draft but went on to rewrite the record, including holding the mark as the all-time leader in passing yards, passing touchdowns and quarterback wins.

He appeared in a record 10 Super Bowls, winning the game’s MVP award five times, and his 15 Pro Bowl selections is the most in league history.

Brady became the face of two decades of dominance for the Patriots, winning more playoff games with New England (30) than the rest of the Patriots in history had done combined. After reaching and losing the Super Bowl twice before Brady’s arrival, New England made it nine times with Brady leading the way, winning six of them.

Even as Father Time loomed, Brady paid it no mind, turning a Super Bowl victory into an every-other-year event. Brady won Super Bowl XLIX in 2014, lost in the AFC Championship Game to old rival Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos in 2015, then returned in 2016 to win Super Bowl LI. He lost Super Bowl LII in 2017, then responded by winning Super Bowl LIII in 2018. Two years later — his first with Tampa Bay — he won another one, his seventh and perhaps most impressive at 43 years old.