Tom Brady announces retirement from NFL via Instagram
Feb 1, 2022, 7:55 AM | Updated: 8:05 am
Less than a day after Tom Brady said on his latest podcast that news of his decision to retire was premature, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback announced via a post on Instagram that he will end his NFL career after 22 seasons and seven Super Bowl victories.
Brady said on the “Let’s Go!” podcast released on Monday that he was still evaluating his future and was not ready to make a decision about retirement.
“I’m just still going through the process that I said I was going through,” Brady said Monday night on his SiriusXM podcast. “Sometimes it takes some time to really evaluate how you feel, what you want to do, and I think when the time is right, I’ll be ready to make a decision, one way or the other, just like I said last week.”
The 44-year-old quarterback has already stated a desire to spend more time with his wife, supermodel Gisele Bundchen, and three children. He’s under contract for 2022 with the Buccaneers and is coming off one of the best seasons in his 22-year career.
“I understand my decision affects a lot of people’s lives so when that decision comes, it’ll come,” Brady said.
ESPN first reported Brady’s retirement on Saturday, citing unidentified sources. Brady’s health and wellness company posted a tweet indicating he’s retiring, and reaction came from around the world congratulating Brady on his career. Even the NFL’s Twitter account posted a series of congratulatory messages.
TB12sports quickly deleted its tweet, but ESPN and NFL Network continued reporting that Brady has played his last game.
Brady led the NFL in yards passing (5,316), touchdowns (43), completions (485) and attempts (719), but the Buccaneers lost at home to the NFC champion Los Angeles Rams in the divisional round after rallying from a 27-3 deficit to tie it in the final minute.
Brady won six Super Bowls with the Patriots playing for coach Bill Belichick, and got better with age. He led the Buccaneers to their second Super Bowl title last year in his first season in Tampa.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
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