Tom Brady has nothing left to prove, and Tampa Bay isn’t going to be the same team next season, so why not hang ’em up?
Twenty-two seasons. Tom Brady’s existence in the NFL has spanned five presidents. It saw Facebook go public, the birth of Apple’s iPhone, the rise of cryptocurrency and a global pandemic. He played against thousands of players – and many of their kids. He won more championships than anyone in the sport. He owns so many meaningful records that will never be broken. He’s hands-down the greatest of all time at his position, or any position. And at age 44, according to some in the industry, he is about to leave with so many in the football community and beyond wanting more. That’s because, remarkably, he can still play at an elite level. In a league that currently features younger guns Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Justin Herbert and Joe Burrow, he was still able to top the lot in touchdown passes and overall yards. He was still able to be competitive against the kids. But, according to reports, he’s decided to hang it up. If and when Brady eventually verifies those reports himself, or even if he still hasn’t decided officially as other reports suggest, it’s the right time. He has no more to prove. Sure, his stated goal was to play through his age-45 season. But what’s the point? He won a Super Bowl at age 43. He defied Father Time for years. He still loves to play, and still has a year left on his deal with Tampa Bay, but after all he’s accomplished, there’s no compelling reason to return, especially with a team that’s undoubtedly going to lose some key players. Brady’s career has been built on winning. His legend has grown with each and every championship. At this stage, there’s no need to come back for one more kick at the can, especially for a team that’s going to have a tougher time getting back to the tournament. It’s time for him to move on, enjoy his family and continue to enhance his TB12 brand. During the past week, he’s sent out enough clues on his SiriusXM podcast to foreshadow his possible departure. Or at the very least, he left the impression he was seriously pondering the end.
