Tom Brady Officially Announces Retirement From the NFL

Tom Brady makes his retirement official following 22 seasons in the NFL.

What was reported over the weekend has been made official: Tom Brady is retiring from football after 22 seasons, seven Super Bowl victories, three NFL MVP awards, and 278 career wins including in the playoffs.

Brady announced his retirement via Instagram on Tuesday morning. 

"I have always believed the sport of football is an 'all-in' proposition — if a 100% competitive commitment isn't there, you won't succeed, and success is what I love so much about our game," Brady wrote in his Instagram post.

"This is difficult for me to write, but here it goes: I am not going to make that competitive commitment anymore. I have loved my NFL career, and now it is time to focus my time and energy on other things that require my attention.

"I've done a lot of reflecting the past week and have asked myself difficult questions. And I am 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."

Well known as a formerly underrated sixth-round draft pick-turned-superstar, Brady finishes his professional career — 20 seasons with the New England Patriots and the past two years with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers — having completed 64.2 percent of his 11,317 passes for 84,520 yards, 624 touchdowns and 203 interceptions in the regular season. 

He ranks No. 1 in the NFL's all-time passing completions, yards and touchdown categories. 

The champion of Super Bowls XXXVI, XXXVIII, XXXIX, XLIX, LI, LIII and LV, five of which he was named the title game's Most Valuable Player, Brady hangs up his cleats having won two more championships than the next player on the list of individual Super Bowl rings — that being linebacker Charles Haley, formerly of the San Francisco 49ers and Dallas Cowboys.

The next closest quarterback — Joe Montana, who won all of his titles with the 49ers — finished his career with four Super Bowl victories.

Brady earned three First-Team All-Pro selections throughout his career (2007, 2010 and 2017) as well as 15 Pro Bowl nods. He is also a two-time Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year, most recently earning the honor in 2021.

From a Buccaneers' perspective, Brady led Tampa Bay to its regular-season record of games won in 2021 with 13 and the team's first NFC South title since 2007. And of course, Brady and the Bucs won Super Bowl LV during his first season with the team at the conclusion of the 2020 season, marking the second championship in franchise history (2002). 

Brady is the Buccaneers' single-season record holder in passing yards (5,316) and passing touchdowns (43), both milestones being set in 2021.

Not many, if any, players close a chapter in the history book of the NFL exclusively on their own, but on Monday evening, Brady did just that. Without Brady suiting up on Sundays, the league will never be the same.

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