Tom Brady Shared Official Retirement Decision With NFL, Players Association, per Report

The future Hall of Famer has reportedly closed the door on a possible return once and for all.

NFL fans holding out for the possibility of Tom Brady un-retiring for a second time saw their hopes officially go up in smoke Friday after the legendary quarterback reportedly finalized his decision to step away from football for good. 

Brady filed a letter with the NFL and NFLPA on Friday to confirm his Feb. 1 decision to retire after 23 seasons, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported. Schefter, who famously spoiled Brady’s first retirement in Feb. 2022, noted the letter will officially make the 45-year-old eligible to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility in ’28.

With the paperwork now complete, Brady will finally head off into the sunset and no longer face questions surrounding whether or not he’ll return to play for one more season. Of course, Friday’s news likely won’t completely quell that speculation, but for all intents and purposes, Brady appears to finally be content with his choice to stop playing the game he dominated for over two decades.

Four days after announcing his retirement, Brady informed Fox’s Colin Cowherd that he intended to begin his lucrative broadcasting career with Fox in 2024 after taking a year to explore life outside of the NFL. Needless to say, the seven-time Super Bowl champion clearly still believes he has more to give to the sport, just in a different capacity as he enters the next phase of his career.