Free agent quarterback Tom Brady put rumors of him returning to the gridiron next season to bed at his unofficial retirement party in Tampa Bay on Thursday.
The seven-time Super Bowl champion insisted at his Autograph company event that he’s remaining retired and focused on being a dad above anything else moving forward.
Brady said, “there is nothing I love more than football, but I have young children and they watched enough of their dad’s games and it’s time for me to watch their games.”
His statement was greeted with loud cheers from the people in attendance.
Tom Brady at his Autograph “unofficial retirement” party last night in Tampa, when asked what comes next for him:
“There is nothing I love more than football, but I have young children and they watched enough of their dad’s games and it’s time for me to pic.twitter.com/2ZuZz1pZuj… https://t.co/9uyBYzDifb
— MLFootball (@_MLFootball) March 17, 2023
There’s nothing left for Tom Brady to prove if he decided to return to the NFL. He’s accomplished more than anyone else in the history of the sport. It would be silly of him at 45 to go start over somewhere new or to go back to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
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He’s already widely considered as the NFL’s greatest player of all-time and has a cemented legacy. Brady is the NFL’s leader in multiple categories:
- Quarterback wins (251)
- Passing touchdowns (649)
- Passing yards (89,214)
- Completions (7,753)
- Division titles (19)
- Pro Bowl selections (15)
- Super Bowl victories (7)
- Super Bowl MVP’s (5)
- Super Bowl appearances (10)
The GOAT has played in the NFL for 23 years. I think it’s way past time for him to allow other players in the league to get the shine now.
And besides, the Buccaneers have just signed quarterback Baker Mayfield to their roster to seemingly be his successor. The Bucs have all but moved on and it’s nice for Brady to reassure his fans that he has too.
The game will be a lot different without #12 playing on Sundays, but I think he’s making the right decision to remain retired. His kids deserve all of his time and attention after dedicating his entire life to being a football player.