Tom Brady has finally retired after playing 22 seasons with the National Football League. In the Instagram post announcing his retirement, Brady said, “I am not going to make that competitive commitment anymore. I have loved my NFL career, and now it is time to focus my time and energy on other things that require my attention” (@tombrady on Instagram). He has had a remarkable career and still has tons of future opportunities and experiences left to embark on post-NFL.

His football career started at the University of Michigan. From there, he joined the NFL draft and was selected as a sixth-round draft pick. Though this wasn’t favorable, he had big hopes and dreams for his future in the NFL. Brady is currently 44 years old and started in the NFL in 2000 signing with the New England Patriots. He played with the Patriots for 20 years before signing with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for his final two seasons. Throughout his career, Brady won seven Superbowls and was the Superbowl MVP five times. This season, his team the Tampa Bay Buccaneers did not make it to the Superbowl. This shocked many football fans that Brady would not end on an eighth Superbowl win. Still, Brady has firmly made this decision in the best interest of him and his family. Brady’s first Superbowl win came in 2002 when the New England Patriots played the St. Louis Rams. The Rams were heavily favored over the Patriots, but the Patriots still pulled through with a 20-17 win. This gave him the momentum to win additional Superbowls with the Patriots in 2004, 2005, 2015, 2017, and 2019. He won his final Superbowl in 2019 with his team the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Alix Foy (12) spoke on Brady’s accomplishments saying, “I’d say his biggest accomplishments were winning seven Superbowls and being the Superbowl MVP five times.” This opinion is highly regarded by many in the student body. Another student, Jared Loncar (12) commented on Tom Brady’s career saying, “..winning the Superbowl seven out of his 22 seasons.” Brady has had much success in his NFL career that will help launch him into future opportunities. In his retirement post, he said, “I’m fortunate to have confounded incredible companies like @autograph.io @bradybrand @tb12sports” (@tombrady on Instagram). Now with more freedom with his time, he can be more involved to grow and build upon these establishments. He has also noted that he will have more time for his wife and kids now that he has retired from his professional career. The world can’t wait to see what the future holds for this former NFL superstar.

Now that Tom Brady has called it quits many are wondering who may step into the light as the new QB superstar. Freddy Hartzell (12) shared his opinion on the “next Tom Brady” commenting, “I think Joe Burrow. He has the skill set. Justin Herbert and a lot of young guys, but really Joe Burrow.” Classmates Jared Loncar (12) and Drew Marshall (11) agreed, simply responding, “Joe Burrow”. Joe Burrow is the quarterback for the Cincinnati Bengals and Justin Herbert is the quarterback for the Los Angeles Chargers. Both are pretty young, Burrow being 25 and Herbert being 23, but they have lots of time ahead of them to try to live up to the legend that Tom Brady is. It will be interesting to watch these players develop as they progress through their NFL careers.
The NFL and all of its fans have given a bittersweet goodbye to Tom Brady and his football career. To close out his retirement post, Brady said, “I know for sure I want to spend a lot of time giving to others and trying to enrich other people’s lives, just as so many have done for me” (@tombrady on Instagram). Good luck to Tom and his family as they embark on this new chapter of their life.