Tom Brady announced his retirement from football on Wednesday, putting an official end to the most decorated and accomplished career in NFL history.
Brady, of course, was retired for 40 days last year before deciding to return for a 23rd season. But in a social media post on Wednesday morning, the seven-time Super Bowl champion made it clear that he’s staying retired.
The Michigan product spent his first 20 seasons with the New England Patriots (2000 to 2019) before jumping to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for his final three seasons.
Having spent the majority of his career in Foxborough, it’d obviously make sense for Brady to sign a one-day contract and retire as a member of the Patriots. And that’s something that owner Robert Kraft said he’d be happy to do during an appearance on CNN (h/t Mike Dussault of Patriots.com):
“I’d do it tomorrow. Not only do I want it, our fans are clamoring for it and to us, he always has been and always will be a Patriot…We’ll do everything we can in our power to bring him back, sign off as a Patriot and find ways to honor him for many years to come. He did so much to bring life and good cheer to our community and he’s a beloved figure and he’s earned the respect and love that people feel for him like no other athlete in our town and we’ve had some great ones.”
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Brady took over as the Patriots’ starting quarterback in 2001, and the organization never had a losing season under his watch. They won nine AFC Championships and six Super Bowls throughout his 20-year tenure in Foxborough and broke countless records along the way.
Rumors and reports about rift between Brady and Patriots head coach Bill Belichick started running rampant ahead of the 2018 postseason. Though neither side has spoken publicly about it, the widespread belief is that a soured relationship between Brady and Belichick prompted the former to find a new home in 2020.
Regardless, Brady and Belichick are the greatest head coach-player duo in the history of North American sports. It only seems fitting for Brady to retire as a Patriot, but only time will tell if Kraft and company can make it work.
