Reactions pour in after Tom Brady retires as the best NFL player of all time

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - On the eight-year anniversary of leading a 10-point comeback win in Super Bowl 49 against the Seattle Seahawks, quarterback Tom Brady officially retired from the NFL as the greatest quarterback and great player of all time.

In a lengthy and emotional Instagram post, Brady thanked everyone.

“Good morning guys, I’ll get to the point right away. I’m retiring... for good,” he said in the 53-second video, which appeared to be recorded on a beach. “I know the process was a pretty big deal last time, so when I woke up this morning, I figured I’d just press record and let you guys know first, so I won’t be long winded.”

“I think you only get one emotional retirement essay, and I used mine up last year,” he said, referencing his short-lived retirement in 2022. “So, I really thank you guys so much to every single one of you for supporting me -- my family, my friends, my teammates, my competitors, I could go on forever -- there’s too many,” he said, choking back tears. “Thank you guys for allowing me to live my absolute dream. I wouldn’t change a thing. I love you all.”

Brady originally retired a year ago today, but he un-retired one month later after he still had the competitive desire to play again.

Brady, 45, played for 20 seasons in New England where he led the Patriots to six Super Bowl championships including Super Bowl 51 against the Atlanta Falcons and Super Bowl 53 against the Los Angeles Rams which was played at Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta in 2019. He left New England in 2020 and joined the NFC South with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Brady finishes his illustrious career with seven Super Bowl championships, five Super Bowl MVPs, 3 NFL MVPs, and numerous accolades that will be challenging to ever surpass. He remains the NFL’s leader all-time in career passing yards in the regular season (89,214) and touchdown passes (649). He played in 10 total Super Bowls in his career and 383 total games including the playoffs.

Brady was selected with the 199th pick in the 2000 NFL Draft by the Patriots after every other NFL team passed up on him. He made them regret that decision throughout his entire career.

In a shocking and disappointing final season, the Buccaneers spiraled out of control, losing at one point four straight games. to finish with an embarrassing 8-9 record, the first time he finished with a losing record in his career. The Falcons beat the Buccaneers 30-17 in the regular season finale, however, Brady only played a portion of the first half before resting for the playoffs.

Despite arguably the worst season of his career, he finished third in the NFL with 4,694 yards and 25 touchdowns.

Last year, Brady signed a 10-year, $375 million deal to join Fox Sports after he hung up his cleats.

Reactions from across the sports world including the NFL, New England Patriots, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and his former teammates, rivals, and others have poured in after Brady made the announcement.

His ex-wife Gisele Bündchen commented on his post, saying, “wishing you only wonderful things in this new chapter of your life,” she wrote in the comments, along with a prayer hands emoji.

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