Tom Brady Will Retire — This Time 'For Good'

BOSTON, MA — Former New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady is retiring — this time for good, he says.

Brady, 45, made the announcement in a short video posted to social media Wednesday morning. He thanked his family, fans and competitors for his run as one of the greatest NFL quarterbacks ever.

"I'll get to the point right away: I'm retiring, for good," he said. " I won't be long-winded. You only get one super long, emotional retirement essay."

Brady was referencing the retirement dance he did exactly one year ago. Six weeks later in March 2022, he announced on Twitter that he would return to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the 2022 season.

Brady, a native of San Mateo, Calif., and a University of Michigan graduate, won six Super Bowls with the New England Patriots and one with the Buccaneers. He informed the Bucs about his move at around 6 a.m., ESPN reported.

On top of the Super Bowl wins, Brady was a five-time Super Bowl MVP, three-time league MVP, and threw for nearly 90,000 regular season passing yards. He ended his final NFL season with Tampa Bay 8-9 — the first time Brady ever had an eight-loss season.

Reaction to the retirement Wednesday verged on skepticism, but also awe of Brady's long career.

"Congrats @TomBrady on an unbelievable career. It was fun to watch!" former New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter wrote on Twitter.

"Quite the ride indeed. Thank you again, @TomBrady," the Patriots tweeted Wednesday.

The retirement comes after another major life change for the athlete: in October, Brady and then-wife Gisele Bündchen finalized their divorce. At the time, many speculated the divorce was due to Brady's retirement flip-flop.

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