For the second time in as many offseasons, Tom Brady has announced he is retiring from playing in the NFL. Only this time, the seven-time Super Bowl champion insists he is not going to change his mind.
Brady shared an emotional video on social media Wednesday in which he said he is “retiring for good.” He joked that he did not want to make a long emotional announcement since he already did that when he briefly retired a year ago.
Brady teared up by the end of the 53-second clip while thanking his supporters. You can see the video below:
Truly grateful on this day. Thank you pic.twitter.com/j2s2sezvSS
— Tom Brady (@TomBrady) February 1, 2023
“I’m retiring, for good. 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,” Brady said. “I won’t be longwinded. You only get one super-emotional retirement essay and I used mine up last year.”
Brady felt pushed towards retirement last offseason. His retirement lasted around a month before he talked to the Buccaneers about a return to Tampa Bay for the 2022 season. This time, he insists, is different.
People close to Brady reportedly believed that the 45-year-old was leaning toward playing next season. While it would not be the most shocking thing in the world if Brady changed his mind yet again, he seemed pretty certain.
The Bucs went 8-9 this season but got smashed by the Dallas Cowboys 31-14 in the Wild Card Round of the NFC playoffs. Brady set an NFL record for completions (490) and passing attempts (733) in 2022, though the Bucs finished 25th in the league in points and 15th in yards.
Many believed Brady would want to end his career on a better note, but the teams that were planning to make a run at him will now have to look elsewhere for help.
