Tom Brady announced his retirement from the NFL last week. However, that doesn’t mean the former New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback is ruling a return down the road. Brady, 44, talked about his decision to retire on the Let’s Go! podcast with Jim Gray and Larry Fitzgerald. He said “never say never” when talking about a possible return to football.
“I’m just gonna take things as they come,” Brady said, per Entertainment Tonight. “I think that’s the best way to put it, and I don’t think [with] anything you never say never.At the same time, I know that I feel very good about my decision. I don’t know how I’ll feel six months from now, but I try to make the best possible decision I can in the moment, which I did this last week.”
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Brady finished the 2021 season as the NFL’s leader in passing yards (5,316) and passing touchdowns (43). He led the Buccaneers to an NFC South title and the divisional round of the playoffs. If Brady wanted to return, he could and nobody would doubt his ability to play at a high level. But why did retire now?
“There are a lot of other people — some players who don’t necessarily have to be all in for them,” Brady said. “I guess I’ve seen that quite a bit over the years, but I kind of, I’ve always felt for me, that’s how I had to do it. And my teammates know that I give ’em everything I can. My coaches know that. And it’s certainly not that I can’t do that. And it’s certainly not that I can’t play or continue to play, but I think there’s an important choice for me to make, and I think the choice is, everything certainly comes at a cost, and the cost is what am I missing out on other aspects of my life?”
Brady finished his career with 10 Super Bowl appearances with seven Super Bowl wins, five Super Bowl MVP awards and three NFL MVP awards. He holds various NFL records, including most career QB wins (243) most career passing yards (84,520), most career passing touchdowns (624) and the longest touchdown pass in a game (99 yards, which is a tied record).
