After a whirlwind few days of speculation, Tom Brady made it official Tuesday morning, announcing his retirement from the NFL after 22 breathtaking seasons. Though maybe not as physically gifted as Patrick Mahomes or Aaron Rodgers, Brady will go down as unquestionably the greatest winner in NFL history, finishing his illustrious career with seven Super Bowl rings, accomplishing six of those as a member of the New England Patriots (who he suspiciously never mentioned in his retirement post on Instagram).
Even in his final game, Brady went down swinging, erasing a 24-point second-half deficit in a Divisional Round loss to the Rams. No lead was ever safe with Brady, the league’s preeminent comeback artist and a consistent thorn in Father Time’s side.
Brilliant as the 44-year-old was, making late-game miracles seem as routine as deliveries from Amazon, not everyone was sad to see him go, including NBC New York, who, in breaking the news of Brady’s retirement, made sure to acknowledge his Super Bowl losses to the Giants in 2007 and 2011.
WTOP News made a similar quip at Brady’s expense, reveling in Washington beating the GOAT earlier this year.
There’s no place pettier than social media, a passive-aggressive playground of jealousy and resentment. But catching a stray on Twitter is a small price to pay for greatness, with Brady leaving enormous shoes to fill as the most decorated quarterback, not just of his era, but of all-time.
Thanks for the memories, Tom.
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