Tom Brady Announces His Retirement From NFL....Yes, Again

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Well, it has happened....Again.

Yes, Tom Brady, who almost all pundits and experts believe has earned the right to be considered the Greatest Of All Time (GOAT) has called it a career by announcing his retirement from the NFL. It happens to be almost exactly one year to the day since the last time that Brady made headlines by announcing his retirement. Obviously, he came out of retirement for one more shot (at least). I still hesitate to imagine that this is, indeed, his final curtain call. A part of me still half expects him to turn around and sign on to play yet another year next season. 

This time, at least, it feels like it might indeed be real. The way that Brady worded it in this particular announcement feels more final than it has in the past:

"I'll get to the point: I'm retiring for good," Brady said in a post. "Thank you guys for allowing me to live my absolute dream. I wouldn't change a thing." 

My own feelings on the matter are a bit paradoxical. It is strange, in some ways, because a lot of people cannot stand him, finding him arrogant, or a prima donna, or whatever. I always found those kinds of things and the loathing that people feel for him to be a bit exaggerated. Yet, he did strike me at times as being a bit pompous and full of himself, although ironically, there are other times when he seemed actually quite humble, all things considered. 

For a little while, when it seemed that one of Tom Brady's teams was preparing for a Super Bowl almost ever single year - remember that he has been the starting quarterback for five of the last seven Super Bowls, and won four of those - I kept posting blog entries exploring the age old question as to whether he or Joe Montana should rightly be considered the GOAT. It became obvious to me after a while - probably around the time that Brady orchestrated that amazing comeback against the Falcons in the Super Bowl to win it - that there really was not much of an actual debate anymore. It actually kind of hurt a little to admit it, because even though I am not a Tom Brady hater by any stretch, I will readily admit to liking Montana a lot more than Brady. This might seem a bit strange, since I cannot stand the 49ers. Yet, I always liked Montana, as well as Jerry Rice, who I still think is easily, hands down, the GOAT in terms of wide receivers. Also, Bill Walsh, who seemed almost sagely, at least by football standards. On the other hand, I never disliked any of Brady's team. I had pulled for the New England Patriots when younger, and when their results were almost pathetic at times. Ditto with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. And also, admittedly, a part of why I was almost happy for Brady is that he is the last major athlete to enjoy this success while being more or less my age (he is less than three years younger than me). 

Yet, the numbers do not lie. I may prefer Montana, and he was undeniably great, but the numbers simply spoke for themselves. Montana won four Super Bowls, and he was simply perfect in them. Dazzling. No interceptions. Never lost one. He was named Super Bowl MVP three times, and he won some memorable games in very dramatic fashion. Indeed, I think that he was the GOAT.

But that was then, and this is now. Tom Brady is the GOAT. Montana was the starting quarterback for seven conference championship games during his career with two teams, winning four of them. Brady was the starting quarterback for a staggering 13 conference championship games, winning 10 of them, doubling his next closest competitor, John Elway (who reached the Super Bowl five times, and won twice). Montana was named the Super Bowl MVP three times in his four wins. Brady was named the Super Bowl MVP five times in his seven wins. Brady enjoyed unparalleled success in his stint with two teams, and holds just about every major quarterback record in the books. He started 316 of 318 games, although it should be noted here that he missed some games, including four because he was banned, and almost the entire 2008 season because of a serious leg injury. Brady holds the record for the most regular season and postseason wins by any quarterback, and it is not even close. He won three NFL MVP awards, which is tied for second with Brett Favre (Peyton Manning holds the record with five). Brady holds the record for most Pro Bowl selections, most pass attempts, most completions, most passing yards, and most touchdowns. Given all of what this paragraph alone just mentions, the debate about who is the GOAT has been over for some time now. In truth, it was over a long time ago. Again, for me, I stopped engaging in the debate once Brady led his team from 28-3 down in the second half of Super Bowl LI and orchestrated one of the greatest comebacks ever seen in any game, Super Bowl or not. 

So today, I honor Tom Brady. Whether or not people find him likeable, he was a constant presence in the NFL for over two decades now. I remember his first season as a starter, back in 2001. I actually attended two of his games for the Patriots, one of which turned out to be a Super Bowl preview in New England against the Rams. The other was the Jets game at the Meadowlands. He secured his starting position as the year went on, even though the Patriots had their star quarterback already in Drew Bledsoe. Brady proved to be so good, that he essentially just took it from Bledsoe. 

All of that was quite a while ago. He made it big then, and was known to the football world. Once he earned another Super Bowl ring with Belichick and the Pats, he became quite well known in the sports world, one of the biggest stars. A year later, when he won his third, he began to warrant consideration as one of the all-time greats. That was only in his fourth year as an NFL starting quarterback, and he was still pretty young. Since then, he became so huge, that you do not even have to be a sports fan to know who he is. His reputation precedes him, and he is a household name.

That both comes with the territory and is a result of being the GOAT, which Tom Brady undeniably is. It is hard to imagine anyone ever matching what he did, or even coming close, let alone surpassing him. Then again, the same could have been said before, and along came Tom Brady. So time will tell.

Just how good has Brady been? Well, here is a snippet from this same article:

From a big-picture view, Brady's accolades are not comparable. His seven Super Bowls are the most all-time, as are his five Super Bowl MVP awards. Brady has thrown more completions, passing yards, and touchdowns than any other quarterback that has come before, and he is also the winningest player in NFL history. And that's just the tip of the iceberg. 

Yeah, it really is. Brady led the Patriots when they enjoyed a streak of 19 straight winning seasons, just one shy of the all-time record of 20 straight winning seasons by the Dallas Cowboys. There was also a record of 17 straight seasons when the Patriots won at least 10 games, which eclipsed the previous record of 16 straight seasons by the San Francisco 49ers. Then, Brady added two more such seasons with the Buccaneers, during which time he won yet another Super Bowl. At the time when he won his first ever title, he was the youngest quarterback to ever win the Super Bowl and, when he won that last one with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he became the oldest quarterback to win one. He was the starting quarterback for a record 10 Super Bowls, double the next closest competitor. He also was the starting quarterback for an astonishing 14 Championship Games (13 of them with the New England Patriots), including a record eight straight AFC Championship Game appearances by the Patriots from 2011 - 2018. He played in more playoff games (48) than any other quarterback in history, and won more than any other quarterback as well, with 35 wins, which is more than more franchises have earned in their entire history. 

Astonishing numbers, truly. Again, it seems doubtful that anyone will replicate them, or even come near them. Brady feels like a once in a lifetime, perhaps once in a century, kind of a player. Not impossible. Just...unlikely. Highly unlikely.

Tom Brady announces retirement: Patriots, Buccaneers legend walks away after 23 seasons in the NFL by Tyler Sullivan, February 1, 2023:

Brady exits the NFL as the most decorated player in league history         

https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/tom-brady-announces-retirement-patriots-buccaneers-legend-walks-away-after-23-seasons-in-the-nfl/