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:
#BREAKING: Tom Brady, who lost 2 Super Bowls to the Giants during his legendary 22-year NFL career, retires; see his full message here https://t.co/xJUpRDfznQ
— NBC New York (@NBCNewYork) February 1, 2022
Tom Brady, known for dropping a pass in Super Bowl LII and failing to shake Nick Foles' hand, has announced his retirement from the NFL.
MORE: https://t.co/mNfLKQ4C6O pic.twitter.com/1FkhkqB37K
— FOX 29 (@FOX29philly) February 1, 2022
Man who could never beat Nick Foles decides to stop trying: https://t.co/bfAo0QRDYC
— NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) February 1, 2022
What a ride.
Tom Brady has officially announced his retirement after 22 seasons in the NFL. pic.twitter.com/DhdlRLrbr8
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) February 1, 2022
Apparently, people were second-guessing @AdamSchefter and @JeffDarlington for their Saturday report on Tom Brady’s retirement, now official.
It’s a day to celebrate Brady.
As journalists, Schefter and Darlington should be celebrated, too. #ESPN #Brady
— Chris Mortensen (@mortreport) February 1, 2022
About Matt Clapp
Matt is an editor/writer at The Comeback and Awful Announcing.
He can be reached by email at mclapp@thecomeback.com.