Legend Tom Brady Makes ‘Official’ Final Call on Retirement from Bucs, NFL

All things considered - including 44-year-old Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady recently noting that he owes time to his wife and children - it seems like the retirement writing was on the wall for the GOAT.

And on Saturday afternoon, ESPN essentially made an “official” announcing: Tom Brady is retiring.

Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports, citing “several sources who are within Brady’s inner circle,” reported that his sources anticipate Brady “most likely will reveal his future plans in the coming days.”

This seemed both rather vague and rather obvious. But it happening certainly changes the landscape of the Atlanta Falcons’ competition in the NFC South and of course the landscape of the entire NFL. When Brady quarterbacked the New England Patriots, they were perennially the league’s most consistently feared team. He brought that same aura to Tampa Bay.

And now? The CBS report did advance the ball in one way, with one unnamed source mentioning that Brady wants to not drag out his decision to the Buccaneers have the full offseason to figure out what to do next at QB. (Sort of the opposite of what Aaron Rodgers did to the Green Bay Packers last offseason, and may do again.)

CBS also said Brady might hurry to announce his plans so as to not upstage the Super Bowl, which is two weeks away.

Just before the 2021 season opened, Brady said, “Hopefully, I’ll be here a long time. For many years.”

Two more seasons since then might not count as “many.” But it can count as “plenty.”

The NFL will be moving on from a great one … and the Falcons will be happy to oppose twice a year a Bucs QB who is substantially less GOAT-like.