Tom Brady Jan 1, 2023; Tampa, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady (12) runs off the field after they beat the Carolina Panthers t Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Despite many NFL analysts saying that Tom Brady may join either the Las Vegas Raiders or San Francisco 49ers, Brady announced early Wednesday morning that he is indeed retiring. And this time, he says it’s for good.

Brady’s retirement may have shattered the hopes and dreams of fans of several NFL franchises who may have thought they had a chance at Brady. But if a report from ESPN’s Jeff Darlington is correct, Brady was either going to retire or continue to play in Tampa Bay. One oft-cited factor was that he wanted to remain in Florida close to his kids, which may be the major reason that he called it quits this time.

Despite that, fans around the league had plenty to say about the seven-time Super Bowl champ retiring. That was particularly true for fans of teams who may have been in the running for Brady’s services. Some takes from Raiders and 49ers fans, whose teams many thought had shots at Brady, were especially notable here.

Some people feel the team most affected by Brady’s retirement is the Raiders, who are now left to scramble to find Derek Carr‘s replacement now that Brady is no longer an option.

Others feel like this just means if Brady unretires in a few months like he did last year, that he will either come back as a Raider or with the 49ers.

If Brady does decide to come back again like Brett Favre, it would probably tarnish his public image as the greatest to play the game. And for Brady, image is everything. We’ll see if this retirement holds for him.

About Stacey Mickles

Stacey is a 1995 graduate of the University of Alabama who has previously worked for other publications such as Sportskeeda and Saturday Down South.