Tom Brady is retiring from football “for good” this time.
The now-former Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback and seven-time Super Bowl champion announced his retirement exactly one year ago on February 1, 2022, only to change his mind 40 days later and return for a final NFL season.
“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 in a video posted across his social media channels.
“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.”
A visibly verklempt Brady signed off with, “Thank you for letting me live my absolute dream. I wouldn’t change a thing.”
The Buccaneers showed some love for their former quarterback in a tweet with a #ThankYouTom caption.
As ESPN notes, Brady is ending his NFL career as the league’s leader in all-time passing yards (89,214) and touchdown passes (649). He is the only player to have won more than five Super Bowls, and he earned the Super Bowl MVP award five times.
In his final season with the Buccaneers, the three-time league MVP passed for 25 touchdowns and 4,694 yards, the third highest in the NFL.
After being selected 199th overall by the New England Patriots in the 2000 NFL draft, Brady led the team to a Super Bowl at the conclusion of the 2001 season in his first year as the starting QB. He would win five more titles with the Patriots and his last with the Buccaneers at the end of the 2020 NFL season.
Brady is expected to transition into a career as an analyst for Fox Sports, which signed him to a 10-year, $375 million contract this past summer. He also owns his own Brady clothing line, TB12 Sports wellness brand and 199 Productions production company, the successes of which helped Brady become the highest paid NFL player of 2022 with $30 million in earnings.
Perhaps he’ll have a chance to show his skills in the booth at the upcoming Super Bowl LVII matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles.
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