Tom Brady Retired. Again?
Tom Brady officially announced his final retirement from football on February 1, 2023. This came to light after he shared a video on social media telling his followers he would be retiring from the game for good.
But this isn’t the first time Brady has claimed he was going to retire. He announced his first retirement a year prior: February 1, 2022. Then forty days later, he returned to football to play with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Brady has won seven Super Bowls, six with the Patriots and one with the Buccaneers. He is the NFL’s leader in passing yards (89,214) along with touchdown passes (649). He is also the only NFL player to win more than five Super Bowls and has been named Super Bowl MVP five times.
So what will this NFL superstar do next? He can now immediately start working for Fox Sports as an analyst. They signed him to a ten-year, $375 million contract. He has also started launching his own clothing brand as well as a health and wellness brand called TB12 Sports.
Brady has not had the easiest family life. He and his wife, Gisele Bundchen, finalized their divorce this past fall during Brady’s final season with the Buccaneers. This ended a thirteen-year marriage between the couple, so you can assume Brady will attempt to focus on his family life with his retirement announcement.
But the question still stands: Is Brady finally retired? Some reasons that suggest he is in fact not done with football include his podcast. Jim Gray, who Tom Brady invited on his podcast, says he's just psychologically and emotionally worn out, even questioning Brady's ability to play football at his advanced age. During Super Bowl week, Brady is subjecting himself to embarrassment from a close friend. It's an obvious attempt to suggest to teams that he's still willing to play, if there's interest.
Another possible reason could be Brady’s options and current abilities. Brady first announced his retirement with the belief that no one would ever beat him. He tried to go back but failed. Do fans believe, given all Brady’s freedom, he'll just walk away now that his dominance might be at risk, even though he still leads the league in passing attempts and passing yards? Brady would more than likely not let that happen. He wants to be remembered as the greatest quarterback of all time. So, is he really 100% done with football?
