Whether you hated or loved him, everyone can agree that Tom Brady’s retirement is going to change the landscape of the National Football League (NFL) forever. On Feb. 1, Brady announced on his Instagram that he was retiring from football. He commented on how he
believed the sport required “100% competitive commitment” and that he was done with that competitiveness. The rest of the post was thanking friends, family, fans and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Interestingly, his original post did not make any comment toward his former team, the New England Patriots. However, he later made comments regarding the Patriots and Bill Belichick. Brady retired as possibly the greatest NFL player and one of the greatest American athletes of all time.
The number of accolades that he has built up over the years is almost incomparable. According to Pro Football Reference, Brady had 15 Pro Bowl nominations (but he rarely went cause he was constantly still in the playoffs), three All-Pro selections, seven Super Bowl wins, three Most Valuable Player (MVP) Awards, five Super Bowl MVPs, a Comeback Player of the Year Award and two AP Offensive Player of the Year Awards. He is also the all-time leader in passing yards, passing touchdowns, completed passes, playoff wins, Super Bowl wins and Super Bowl appearances. These are not the only categories, however just these alone are incredible. Brady has more Super Bowl wins than any NFL franchise. After leaving the Patriots for the 2020-2021 season, Brady continued his playoff success with a Super Bowl win in his first year with the Buccaneers. This feat further established his dominance as it was clear that the team was not completely determining his success.
There have been many moments in Brady’s career that NFL fans will remember forever. In 2017, the Falcons famously blew a 28-3 lead to the Patriots, as Brady led one of the greatest comebacks of all time. There was the game winning drive that sent MVP Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs home in overtime in 2019. Most recently, Brady led the Buccaneers to their first ever Super Bowl in franchise history in 2021. There’s the tuck rule, the deflate gate and many more moments in his career that make his career crazy and great. He went from being a sixth-round draft pick in the 2000 NFL draft, to one of the best of all time. In 2001, Brady took over for an injured Drew Bledsoe for the Patriots. Brady never looked back as he went to the Pro-Bowl in his first season as a starter and won a Super Bowl in his first season as a starter.
Although many fans may be happy with Brady’s retirement, it’s not because he was bad, but rather he was too good. Brady dominated many teams during his time with the Patriots and his constant trips through the playoffs did not help. As fans rejoice, people begin to ask whether there is ever going to be a new Tom Brady? Although certain quarterbacks such as Mahomes and Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen appear to possibly have the talent to do so, nothing will ever beat being a sixth-round draft pick and ending as the greatest of all time.
