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Report: Tom Brady to Retire After 22 Seasons, Seven Super Bowls

The legendary quarterback won seven Super Bowls and five MVP awards.

Madeline Coleman

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Tom Brady is retiring after 22 years in the league, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter and Jeff Darlington. While reports emerged Saturday that Brady's decision was not yet made, several sources told NFL Network's Ian Rapoport that the pushback appears to be based on timing, rather than the eventual decision.

The legendary quarterback totaled 84,520 yards, 624 touchdowns and only 203 interceptions across 318 games. During the 2021 campaign which ended with a narrow loss to the Rams in the divisional round, he threw 43 touchdowns and 5,316 yards. 

The 44-year-old will finish his career widely regarded as the greatest football player of all time. Brady spent 20 years in New England and just two with Tampa Bay, winning his seventh Super Bowl with the Bucs and his fifth Super Bowl MVP trophy in the 2020 season. He is a three-time NFL MVP, 15-time Pro Bowler and a six-time All Pro. 

Family and health are reportedly two of the factors that played into his decision to step away. Earlier this week, the quarterback used the word ”satisfied“ to describe his feelings about his career on his Let’s Go! podcast with cohost Jim Gray. 

“I said this a few years ago, it’s what relationships are all about,” Brady said on the podcast. “It’s not always what I want. It’s what we want as a family. And I’m going to spend a lot of time with them and figure out in the future what’s next.”

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After the initial reports of Brady's retirement came out, his agent, Don Yee, released a statement saying that Brady will be the only person to make the announcement “with complete accuracy”.

Brady has reportedly not yet informed Bucs coach Bruce Arians that he's planning to retire, and later called Tampa Bay general manager Jason Licht to say he has not made a final decision yet.

Brady is the league’s all-time passing touchdown (624) and yards leader (85,520). He has tallied the most career wins with 243. He finishes his storied career undefeated against five different franchises: the Falcons (9–0), Vikings (6–0), Cowboys (6–0), Buccaneers (4–0) and Patriots (1–0). 

Brady was notoriously selected with the 199th in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL draft, spending his first season working his way up the depth chart. He eventually earned the role of Drew Bledsoe’s backup, and by the second game of his second season, took over the starting role, leading the Patriots to the No. 2 seed in the AFC.

And the rest was history. 

After 20 seasons and 14 Pro Bowls with the Patriots, Brady decided to sign with Tampa Bay in March 2020. He went on to lead the franchise to a win in Super Bowl LV, securing his unrivaled legacy. 

More Sports Illustrated Tom Brady Coverage: 

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Madeline Coleman
MADELINE COLEMAN

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