Tom Brady is walking away from the NFL after 22 successful years in the league. His announcement comes from a January 29 Instagram post from his account stating he is “not going to make that competitive commitment anymore.”
Brady’s retirement comes after the Tampa Bay Buccaneers lost in the divisional round of the N.F.C. playoffs to the Los Angeles Rams.
Brady, 44, is widely considered the greatest quarterback of all time, being nicknamed “the goat”. Winning seven Lombardi trophies, the most championships won by a single player, along with five Super Bowl MVPs, Brady has single-handedly re-written the NFL record book. He’s had career records such as most touchdown passes (624) and most passing yards (84,250).
He’s cited his retirement as a desire to spend more time with his wife, Gisele Bündchen, and his three children while also keeping in mind his health. He believes this is the right moment to end his playing career.
Upon retirement his performance during his final year has been nothing less than the standard for the All-Star player, finishing the regular season as the NFL leader in touchdowns and passing yards. Brady will become the second future Hall of Fame quarterback to call it a career this postseason.
Although there was always speculation of his retirement, Brady had previously stated that he wanted to continue playing professionally until he was 45 years old. Brady was the oldest current player in the NFL this past season.
“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 said in his Instagram post.
He added: “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.”
To read his official statement CLICK HERE.