NFL
How many times has Tom Brady retired? When was the last time he retired?
At the age of 45, seven-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady has announced his retirement from the NFL…not for the first time.
Just like that, 23 years are over in the space of 53 seconds. Or are they…? On Wednesday, Tom Brady announced his ‘latest’ retirement from NFL at the age of 45 with a short but sweet video on social media. The seven-time Super Bowl champion unsurprisingly got emotional as he revealed his decision to bring his career to an end…although we have, of course, seen it all before.
What did Tom Brady say in his retirement announcement?
“Morning guys, I’ll get to the point right away. 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. I won’t be long-winded, you only get one super-emotional retirement essay and I used mine up last year so…Really, thank you guys so much to every single one of you for supporting me. My family, my friends, teammates, my competitors…I could go on forever, there’s too many. Thank you guys for allowing me to live my absolute dream. I wouldn’t change a thing. Love you all.”
How many times has Brady retired?
That’s it all over for Brady, right? Well, probably. Let’s not forget – as if you could - that this is the second time that the quarterback has announced his retirement, with his first coming after the Tampa Bay Buccaneers lost out to eventual champions Los Angeles Rams in the Super Bowl playoffs in the 2021 postseason.
Brady cited wanting to spend more time with his family – including then-wife Gisele Bündchen – as one of the reasons for his decision – but changed his mind a few weeks later, which appeared to be one of the instigators for the breakdown in the couple’s relationship and eventual divorce.
When was the last time Brady retired?
Curiously enough, Brady has now retired on 1 February in back-to-back years (whether he’s getting mixed up with 1 April will become clear if he comes out of retirement again…). Last year, he returned to action a little over a month later in early March and although the Bucs made it to the postseason, what proved to be his fina year didn’t quite live up to everything that had gone before, which ensures he’ll go down in history as an NFL Hall of Famer, right at the top of the tree.