Prior to starting this article, I want to make it clear that Tom Brady himself has yet to announce that he is retiring. The information that he will be retiring comes from sources close to him saying that he will not be returning for what would be his 23rd season.
Throughout his career, Tom Brady has set record after record and has been recognized as one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history. Whether fans like him or not, everyone can admit that he is a great player. The Patriots picked Brady as the 199th overall pick in the sixth round of the April 2000 draft. He started getting major playing time as the Patriots starting quarterback in 2001 after Drew Bledsoe got injured.
In February of 2002, Brady got his first Super Bowl ring after defeating the Rams 20-17. He was named the MVP of the game. He then went on to win the 2004 Super Bowl, 32-29 over the Panthers. He won again in 2005, beating the Eagles 24-21. After this, he sets his first NFL record with his 10th consecutive playoff win.
The 2007-2008 NFL season was a major season for Brady. In this season, he set a franchise record with six touchdown passes against Miami, which achieved a perfect passing rate in the game. He also sets the NFL single-season touchdown record, an NFL record of over 90% completion percentage. He also won his first NFL MVP award and sets a single-season career-high in passing yards, completion percentages, and passer rating. While all of this was achieved, Brady lost his first Super Bowl that year after four previous appearances.
Brady continues to set records and wins another Super Bowl ring in 2015. Despite all this success, Brady was then involved in a scandal of deflating footballs during games, which resulted in a four-game suspension. Brady returned from suspension in October of 2016.
Brady and the Patriots then went on to beat the Falcons 34-28 in the 2017 Super Bowl, and Brady won his sixth and final Super Bowl ring with the Patriots in 2019. In 2020, Brady continued to play football, but he went to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Brady then won his seventh Super Bowl ring with the Buccaneers. This year, though, the Buccaneers got knocked out of the playoffs by the Rams.
While most football fans have strong feelings either for or against Tom Brady, no one can deny that he is an amazing player. If he truly is retiring, then the 2022-23 season will look very different without him. There will be more great football players and quarterbacks that will most likely beat his record but, whether you like him or not, Brady will go down in history as one of the greatest quarterbacks and player of all time.
