January 29, 2022 (3:52 p.m. ET): Shortly after NFL insiders Jeff Darlington and Adam Schefter revealed that Tom Brady would retire, the quarterback’s agent, Don Yee, issued a statement. Speaking briefly, Yee neither confirmed nor denied Schefter and Darlington’s report.
“I understand the advance speculation about Tom’s future. With getting into the accuracy or inaccuracy of what’s being reported, Tom will be the only one to express his plans with complete accuracy,” he stated.
“He knows the realities of the football business and playing calendar as well as anybody, so that should be soon.”
January 29, 2022 (2:42 p.m. ET): Tampa Bay Buccaneers Quarterback Tom Brady has reportedly retired after 22 seasons in the NFL. NFL insiders Jeff Darlington and Adam Schefter of ESPN shared the news earlier this afternoon via Twitter.
Tom Brady will be remembered as one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history. During his storied career, Brady picked up seven Super Bowl titles, five Super Bowl MVP awards and three regular-season MVP trophies. In addition, Brady earned 15 Pro Bowl selections and three All-Pro honors. Not to mention, he was selected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s last two all-decade teams. As a result, he is nearly an automatic first-ballot Pro Football Hall of Fame selection.
Tom Brady’s retirement will likely mark the end of an era in pro football. Within the last five years, many of Brady’s peers — Eli Manning, Ben Rothlisberger, Peyton Manning, Phillip Rivers and Drew Brees — have retired. Moving forward, Green Bay Packers Quarterback Aaron Rodgers will hold the title of the league’s oldest and longest-reigning starting quarterback. With that said, the 2011 Super Bowl champion has not ruled out retirement either. With that said, many fans still expect Rodgers to return to the Packers or move to a franchise in title contention.
Heading into next season, the Buccaneers will have a large hole to fill at the quarterback spot. Also, key members of the team’s secondary like Carlton Davis and Jordan Whitehead along with wide receiver Chris Godwin are free agents. To top it all off, Rob Gronkowski, Jason Pierre-Paul and Ndamukong Suh could also retire. Fortunately, the team has six draft picks and potentially free cap space to make a few moves.
