BREAKING: Legendary Patriots and Buccaneers QB Tom Brady says he’s retiring – for real this time

In a video posted to social media Wednesday morning, legendary Patriots and Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady, 45, announced his retirement from football. After announcing his retirement exactly one year ago before eventually returning to the field for a third season with the Buccaneers, Brady says this time he is done for good:

“Good morning, guys, I’ll get to the point right away: I’m retiring for good,” said Brady. “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. So I won’t be long-winded. I think 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 letting me live my absolute dream. I wouldn’t change a thing. Love you all.”

Brady, widely considered the greatest quarterback in NFL history, finishes his illustrious 23-year NFL career with seven Super Bowl titles. He will finish his career 251-82 as a starting quarterback with 89,214 yards passing (most all-time), 649 touchdowns (most all-time), and 212 interceptions. His 88 playoff touchdown passes also rank No. 1 all-time in NFL history.

After playing his college football at Michigan, Tom Brady was drafted No. 199 overall by the New England Patriots in the 2000 NFL Draft, and would spend his first 20 seasons in New England while winning six Super Bowl titles alongside legendary head coach Bill Belichick. Brady signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers ahead of the 2020 NFL season, and promptly led Tampa Bay to a 31-9 Super Bowl win over the Kansas City Chiefs in his first season in the NFC. In 2022, Brady’s final season, the Buccaneers finished 8-9 – remarkably, the first losing season of his 23-year career.

Tom Brady’s final career game was a 31-14 loss to the Dallas Cowboys in the wild-card round of the NFL playoffs last month. The Buccaneers now enter a saturated market of NFL franchises in search of their next quarterback, and are a team to watch in trade talks ahead of April’s NFL Draft.

Brady’s next step is expected to be in broadcasting, where he has a 10-year, $375 million deal with FOX awaiting him.