A ‘Thrilling Ride’: Patriots Legend Tom Brady Officially Retires from NFL
After a great deal of speculation circulated like snowy winds through the New England atmospheres over the weekend, the man, himself, made it official. Former New England Patriots quarterback, and now former Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback officially announced his retirement from the NFL on Tuesday, capping a 22-year career considered by many to be the greatest ever enjoyed by a football player.
The 44-year-old penned an over 900-word announcement of his decision, via social media. In his statement, Brady thanked the Buccaneers, and his family and support staff for what he called a ‘thrilling ride,” while describing himself as ‘the luckiest person in the world.”
Brady entered the NFL as the 199th overall selection by the Patriots in the 2000 NFL Draft. The Michigan product ascended to the starting position in his second year with the team, in the aftermath of a devastating injury to then-starter Drew Bledsoe. In his first year as a starter, Brady led the Patriots to their first ever championship. He would go on to win five additional titles in New England, with his last coming in Tampa Bay in 2020.
Brady’s place at the top of the pantheon of NFL greats has been firmly established. He finishes his illustrious career with regular season totals of 11,317 pass attempts for 7,263 completions (64.2%), 84,520 passing yards, 624 touchdowns and 203 interceptions. And that’s just the regular season. Brady has also dominated the postseason, where he has compiled a record of 35-12, as well as a quarterback rating of 90.4. He completed 62.8% of his postseason passes for 13,049 yards, 86 passing touchdowns and 39 interceptions. Brady has won seven of the ten Super Bowls in which he has played, earning the big game’s MVP five times.
In short, Tom Brady has been synonymous with success…and whether you love him, envy him, or love to hate him, his presence will be missed by the NFL universe as he leaves the game.
