Tom Brady Announces NFL Retirement After Iconic 22-Season Career with Patriots, Bucs

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady has officially announced his retirement after 22 NFL seasons.

Brady's player resume stands alone as the greatest in NFL history. He holds the all-time records for Super Bowl wins (seven), Super Bowl MVP awards (five), playoff wins (35), regular-season wins (243), passing yards (84,520) and passing touchdowns (624), among other accolades.

The three-time All-Pro also won three NFL regular-season MVP awards and once held the single-season passing touchdown record (50, set in 2007).

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell congratulated Brady after the quarterback announced his retirement:

Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians also showed his appreciation:

"Tom joined us as the greatest football player of all time, and he quickly showed everyone in our organization what that meant. He set a standard and helped create a culture that took our team to the mountaintop. It has been an honor to be his head coach for the past two seasons. I wish it didn't have to end, but few players have the opportunity to leave the game on their own terms. Even fewer can do it while playing at an elite level. Tom is the exception. I have a deep appreciation and respect for what he has done for our franchise, and I wish him and his family nothing but the best in this next chapter of life after football."

Reports circulated Saturday that Brady, who will turn 45 years old in August, was set to retire. ESPN's Adam Schefter and Jeff Darlington broke the news, and Ian Rapoport of NFL Network also reported that Brady was set to retire.

Brady's agent, Don Yee, said his client would reveal his future plans shortly:

Brady's father, Tom Brady Sr., also denied the reports in a conversation with Mike Giardi of NFL Network.

Brady ultimately did decide to retire, however, ending the greatest playing career in NFL history.

Expectations weren't high for the ex-Michigan Wolverine when the New England Patriots selected Brady in the sixth round with the No. 199 overall draft pick out of Michigan in 2000.

He sat behind starter Drew Bledsoe in his first season but got the call to be the QB1 after the veteran signal-caller suffered serious injuries, including internal bleeding, following a hit from New York Jets linebacker Mo Lewis in Week 2 of the 2001 campaign.

The rest is history as Brady helped lead the Pats to their first Super Bowl win.

New England went 11-5 after going 5-11 the year before and finished its season beating the heavily favored St. Louis Rams in the Super Bowl.

Brady guided the Patriots to Super Bowl victories in 2003 and 2004 and nearly did so in 2007 with an undefeated team.

However, the New York Giants shut down the Brady-led offense and scored a late touchdown to secure a Super Bowl XLII win and send the Patriots home with an 18-1 record and without a Lombardi Trophy.

Brady wasn't able to lead the Patriots in 2008 after a hit from Kansas City Chiefs safety Bernard Pollard caused a season-ending torn left ACL.

He returned in 2009 and got back to the Super Bowl in 2011, when the Giants beat the Pats yet again.

Brady led the Patriots to Super Bowl wins in 2014, 2016 and 2018, however, to give himself six rings for his career. 

The quarterback threw two fourth-quarter touchdown passes in Super Bowl XLIX to lead the Patriots to a 28-24 win over the Seattle Seahawks.

Two years later, Brady guided an epic 28-3 comeback over the Atlanta Falcons, piloting the Pats to a 34-28 overtime win. He finished that game with a Super Bowl-record 466 passing yards.

Brady's career isn't without controversy. He was alleged to have ordered the deliberate (and illegal) deflation of footballs during the 2014 AFC Championship Game, which the Pats won 45-7 over the Indianapolis Colts.

After a lengthy soap opera that landed in multiple courts, Brady was suspended for the first four games of the 2016 season.

There were also murmurs of issues with head coach Bill Belichick, such as the coach's alleged concerns regarding Brady's personal trainer (and TB12 Sports co-founder) Alex Guerrero.

Belichick stripped Guerrero of previously granted privileges (including treating any players outside Brady) in 2017, per Bob Hohler of the Boston Globe.

Eventually, the Belichick-Brady relationship, as noted by ESPN's Seth Wickersham, deteriorated enough that the quarterback left in free agency for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the 2020 offseason.

Brady didn't lose a step in Tampa Bay, throwing for 40 touchdowns and 4,633 passing yards and leading the Bucs to their second Super Bowl win (and his seventh).

His second season in Tampa ended in playoff disappointment with a 30-27 loss to the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC divisional round, but Brady continued to defy logic at age 44, throwing for an NFL-high 44 touchdowns for the NFC South champions.

Remarkably, Brady appeared to have plenty left in the tank this season as he dominated despite being in his mid-40s.

However, he will retire during a two-decade prime that destroyed any logic fans have about the longevity of peak athletic performance.