On Wednesday, Tom Brady announced his retirement from the National Football League. As a player for the New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the GOAT provided fans with many memorable moments over the course of 23 seasons.
The 45-year-social old’s media video retirement announcement was his second consecutive year away from the sport of football. However, this retirement, according to Brady, is “for real” as opposed to the temporary retirement he took last year (which lasted just 40 days).
If this is it for Brady, he will go down in history as the greatest of all time. He leaves the league with several throwing records, including the most in Super Bowl victories, playoff victories, yards, and touchdown passes. Listed below are the four highlights of his professional career.
4. First Super Bowl victory
After Drew Bledsoe was injured in 2001, Brady was thrust into the starting lineup. However, at this stage in his career, he was still simply a game manager, and thus, very few people thought that the former sixth-round selection and a strong Patriots defense had a chance against the then-St. Louis Rams and the “Greatest Show on Turf.” In retrospect, it’s clear that Super Bowl XXXVI was only the first of many reminders of why it’s a bad idea to write off Brady
After scoring 14 unanswered points to make the score 17-17 with under a minute to play, the Rams seemed to have momentum on their side. Brady has no intention of postponing his Super Bowl party because of the extra time. The then-second-year professional displayed remarkable composure, completing five of eight throws, and setting the stage for Vinatieri’s game-winning field goal as time expired, giving the Patriots their first Super Bowl victory.
3. Return to New England
Every Patriots fan marked October 3, 2021, on their calendars when Brady departed New England. It was Brady’s first home game in Foxborough since his return. It was hoped that this game would allow fans to finally watch Tom Brady go up against Bill Belichick, who has been Brady’s coach for most of his career.
When Tom Brady made his first trip to Gillette Stadium as an opponent, New England fans got to see him one final time. During the thrilling victory, Brady set a new mark for throwing yards. With the 19-17 victory against Bill Belichick’s club, Brady joined an exclusive group of just three other quarterbacks in NFL history who had defeated each of the league’s 32 teams.
2. Seventh and final Super Bowl victory
Some speculated that Brady will hand over the reins to a younger star in Super Bowl LV. In any case, Brady’s game-winning effort served as a timely reminder that he was, indeed, the greatest quarterback of all time. While Mahomes struggled, the veteran quarterback was perfect, leading the team to a 31-9 victory against the Kansas City Chiefs.
As of the 2020 season, Brady’s seven Super Bowl victories gave him more Lombardi Trophies than any NFL franchise. After 20 seasons in New England, the quarterback startled the sports world by announcing he was leaving for a new team, where he promptly won the Super Bowl
1. 2016-17 Super Bowl LI
By the middle of the third quarter, the Patriots were down 25 points to the Atlanta Falcons, and it seemed like Brady had shown his human side. While the signal-caller may have been brought to earth in the first half, by the time the confetti had settled, they had achieved almost mythological status.
Brady was flawless as he led the Patriots to a 28-28 tie with two minutes remaining in regulation. This is the best comeback by the greatest ever. Brady attained sports immortality by creating a moment that can be internationally remembered with just one simple phrase: “28-3.” This was the crowning achievement in a long series of honors, awards, and victories for Brady.
