Tom Brady Announces Retirement “For Good”

Wednesday morning was the end of a historic era in sports. Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB Tom Brady announced to the world that he was retiring from the NFL after a 23-year career as a quarterback. That same morning, he told his former team that he had reached a point in his life where it was time to move on.

“I’ll get to the point: I’m retiring for good,” Brady said in his video. “Thank you guys for allowing me to live my absolute dream. I wouldn’t change a thing.”

Despite having one of his least productive seasons in 2022, Brady still wrote a few remarkable chapters in the record books. More passes were attempted and completed than ever before and a division title was secured with his help.

With this in mind, let’s take a look at who benefits and who will lament about this announcement.

Brady had tried to fight back tears in his retirement video. Even though he didn’t want his time in the NFL to end, one consolation is that he retired on his own terms. Brady was also able to cement and maintain his legacy, even after playing for an unprecedented 45 years of age.

Tom Brady has had an incredible career, and his most recent free agency move proved to be no different. In the spring of 2020, Brady left the Patriots after spending 20 years with them. He opted to sign with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

At that time, many were wondering if he still had the same competitive edge that made him the greatest player ever. It turns out… He did! During his very first season with the Bucs, they won Super Bowl LV against the Kansas City Chiefs – making it Brady’s seventh total title victory throughout his illustrious career.

The 2021 season once again saw him as a major success, leading the league in both passing yards (5,316) and touchdowns (43). Even when faced with an eventual champion like Los Angeles Rams in the divisional round, Tom Brady was still a fierce competitor who managed to come back almost single-handedly and tie the game credited to being down by 24 points. It is easy to see why Tom Brady will go down as one of football’s greatest players ever due to his continued accomplishments even into his mid-40s.

Some may say that he should remain retired from last season, but he still carries the Bucs to their second straight NFC South Title. Fans knew that the Bucs can prevail over the Cowboys in their wild-card matchup as Tom won all his seven games against Dallas. However, Dak Prescott and the Cowboys outclassed the Bucs with a masterful performance.

The Buccaneers were dealt a major loss with NFL quarterback Tom Brady’s retirement. His departure leaves a gaping hole at the QB spot and requires the team to act fast in filling it. Though they still have other positional needs, locating a long-term solution under center must be addressed.

The Bucs may start by looking within their own organization. Rookie draft pick Kyle Trask already has several admirers and could earn himself the starting job. Yet, Tampa Bay may also look towards both rookies and veteran free agents in order to shore up its offense for years to come. It is still uncertain who the team will choose to succeed Brady, but one thing is for sure – their hope of maintaining their high level of play from last season now relies heavily on wise quarterback recruitment.

Tom Brady’s departure creates a surge of opportunity for NFC teams to become the Champions of their Conference. The regular season saw success from Carolina Panthers as they caught up and nearly defeated the Buccaneers led by interim head coach Steve Wilks.

Without Brady standing in the way, other NFC teams now have an open forum to vie for their conference title. The AFC has held a bastion of talented quarterbacks dominated by stars like Patrick Mahomes, Joe Burrow, Justin Herbert, and Josh Allen; in comparison, the NFC quarterback ranks are not as robust but now present a renewed chance to make an impact.

Las Vegas emerged as the most likely destination for Tom Brady had he opted to continue playing beyond his time in Tampa. Now, with Brady retired and Derek Carr poised to become a free agent, the Raiders are left with many unanswered questions at quarterback heading into the offseason.

Though rumors that Brady may consider returning to New England for a final stint with the Patriots, that dream has now been put to rest. Most likely, the next time we will see Brady taking the field at Gillette Stadium will be when the team celebrates him and his accomplishments.