Tom Brady Jan 16, 2022; Tampa, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady (12) celebrates after they beat the Philadelphia Eagles in a NFC Wild Card playoff football game at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
NFLBy Matt Clapp on

On Saturday, ESPN’s Adam Schefter and Jeff Darlington reported that Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady was retiring from the NFL. However, Brady disputed the report, and said on Monday that he’s “still going through the process.”

Well, on Tuesday, Brady finally made the retirement official. The seven-time Super Bowl champion announced the news Tuesday morning on social media. And Schefter was surely quite happy to relay the news after his initial report was disputed.

This news basically confirms that the report from Schefter and Darlington was correct all along (unless Brady truly made this decision over the last two days, which is hard to believe), but Brady wanted to be the one to make the announcement (and get big numbers on his social media pages).

So, the GOAT is officially hanging ’em up, after a mind-blowing 22-year career that featured winning the NFL MVP three times and Super Bowl MVP five times (in his seven titles).

The 44-year-old was still an elite quarterback at the end, winning the Super Bowl MVP in the 2020 season and putting together a 43-touchdown, 102.1 passer rating in 2021. He likely could’ve kept playing quarterback at a high level for a few more years, but he’s already done plenty enough both in terms of football success and on the moneymaking front- and while keeping his long-term health and well-being in a good place despite 22 years in a violent sport. And he made it clear last week that his family would be the primary factor for when he decides to retire.

There’s also the football impact of this: where do the Buccaneers go from here, and who’s their 2022 quarterback? Additionally, the NFC will look a whole lot different — and likely be much worse — next year without Brady, potentially without Aaron Rodgers, potentially without Russell Wilson, and with Sean Payton stepping away from coaching.

Here’s a sampling of the reaction to Brady making his retirement official:

About Matt Clapp

Matt is an editor at The Comeback. He attended Colorado State University, wishes he was Saved by the Bell's Zack Morris, and idolizes Larry David. And loves pizza and dogs because obviously.

He can be followed on Twitter at @Matt2Clapp (also @TheBlogfines for Cubs/MLB tweets and @DaBearNecess for Bears/NFL tweets), and can be reached by email at mclapp@thecomeback.com.

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