NFL legend Tom Brady retires

Tom Brady is retiring from the National Football League after an unprecedented career in which he won seven Super Bowls and set numerous passing records, his company's Twitter account said.

The 44-year-old Brady goes out after leading the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a Super Bowl title last season and NFC South championship this season.

Brady's TB12sports Twitter account wrote: “7 Super Bowl Rings. 5 Super Bowl MVPs. 3 League MVP Awards. 22 Incredible Seasons. Thank you for it all, @TomBrady”

ESPN first reported Brady's retirement on Saturday, citing unidentified sources.

Hasn't made decision

Despite reports that he is retiring, Tom Brady has told the Tampa Bay Buccaneers he hasn't made up his mind, two people familiar with the details told The Associated Press.

Brady’s company posted a tweet indicating he’s retiring, and reaction came from around the world congratulating Brady on his career.

But the tweet was later deleted, and Brady's agent, Don Yee, said the 44-year-old quarterback would be the only person to accurately express his future.

“I understand the advance speculation about Tom’s future. Without getting into the accuracy or inaccuracy of what’s being reported, Tom will be the only person to express his plans with complete accuracy. He knows the realities of the football business and planning calendar as well as anybody, so that should be soon,” Yee said.

Brady called Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht to say he has not made a decision, according to two people who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because of the private nature of the conversations.

GOAT

Brady had cited a desire to spend more time with his wife and children despite still playing at the top of his game. Brady led the NFL in yards passing (5,316), touchdowns (43), completions (485) and attempts (719), but the Buccaneers lost at home to the Los Angeles Rams last Sunday in the divisional round.

Brady won six Super Bowls with the New England Patriots in 20 seasons playing for coach Bill Belichick. He joined the Buccaneers in 2020 and led them to the second Super Bowl title in franchise history.

Brady leaves the games as the career leader in yards passing (84,520) and TDs (624). He’s the only player to win more than five Super Bowls and was MVP of the game five times, which makes him the greatest of all time (GOAT).

Widely considered the greatest quarterback to play the game, Brady won three NFL MVP awards, was a first-team All-Pro three times and was selected to the Pro Bowl 15 times. He was 243-73 in his career in the regular season and 35-12 in the playoffs.