By Cameron Andrade
Legacy; 649 touchdowns, 12,050 passing yards, three MVPs, and seven super bowls. This is what Tom Brady will leave behind as he officially retires from the game of football.
Brady took to social media early Wednesday morning to announce his decision to enter retirement. He uttered these words in an emotional 53-second video posted on his social media accounts.
“I’ll get to the point right away, I’m retiring for good,” said Brady. “I know the process was a pretty big deal last time, so when I woke up this morning I figured I’d just press record and let you guys know first.”
Tom Brady is known by many fans the world as the greatest football player of all time. His accolades are a big reason for this, Brady has won more super bowls than any NFL in history with seven. He currently holds the record for wins by a starting quarterback, passing yards, passing touchdowns, completions, and many more.
Players around the league showed their tributes towards Brady, showing their gratitude and gratefulness for the veteran.
Recently retired NFL player JJ Watt expressed his appreciation with a tweet. “Greatest of All Time, No question, no debate. It’s been an honor and a privilege.” said Watt. Long time former teammate of Brady; Rob Gronkowski, showed his thoughts as well on social media.
Brady was drafted in the 6th round with the 199 pick in the 2000 NFL Draft by the New England Patriots, and the rest would be history. In Brady’s second season; first as a starter, he went on to lead the Patriots to their first super bowl in franchise history. Later winning back to back super bowls two seasons later in 2004 and 2005.
It wouldn’t be until 2015 that Brady would get another taste of being a champion. He continued his success by winning three more rings in a five year span, one of those super bowl wins include the famous 28-3 comeback against the Atlanta Falcons.
After their defeat to the Kansas City Chiefs in the 2019 AFC Championship game, Brady decided it was time for a change. There are multiple reasons for Brady’s departure from New England; the patriots would not commit to him playing until the age of 45, Brady wanted more of an input on the roster, and ultimately contract issues.
Brady would sign with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on a two year contract worth $50 million, ending his 20 year reign in New England. This broke many Patriots fans’ hearts as they watched a young kid grow up and turn their organization to one of the NFL’s greats.
“Every Sunday, I always knew I was in for something good and never really had a doubt about winning a Sunday game,” said junior Keshawne Mercury. “We had the best coaching staff and Tom Brady who never failed to deliver. It was exciting watching him play because he was the best of them all.”
During his first season with Tampa, Brady would do what he does best, win. Leading the Bucs to their first Super Bowl title in 18 years and the second in franchise history. Winning his seventh Super Bowl and his fifth Super Bowl MVP.
Brady finished his second year in Tampa losing to the Los Angeles Rams in the Divisional Round. Brady would make the decision to call it quits, or so everyone thought. Brady shocked the world when he announced he would come out of retirement at 45 years old. The Buccaneers signed him to a one year $15 million contract and Brady continued.
Brady’s final year in an NFL jersey would come as a disappointment to most people, finishing the season with an 8-9 record and losing in the Wild Card round of the playoffs to the Dallas Cowboys 31-14.
Brady’s retirement seems like it is for good this time, as the rest of the world tries to imagine a league without Tom Brady. It only seems certain that his legacy will live on forever.