After reports of Tom Brady’s retirement, his camp says not so fast – NBC Chicago
What there is to know
- Reports of Tom Brady’s impending retirement announcement began swirling around Saturday morning
- The news was apparently confirmed by the NFL who tweeted the news of the retirement, along with a tribute from his company TB12 Sports
- Later Saturday, sources told NBC News and The Associated Press that Brady reached out to Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht to say he hadn’t made a final decision yet.
Editor’s Note: This story has been updated throughout the day as it develops. Read the latest story here
It looked like seven Super Bowl titles would be the end of the line for Tom Brady.
On Saturday morning, ESPN began reporting that the legendary quarterback would be retiring from football after a career spanning more than two decades.
The NFL began tweeting about his retirement on Saturday afternoon, and his company TB12 sports also tweeted a tribute.
That TB12 tweet was later deleted and sources in his camp began pushing back on the reports later in the afternoon, with his agent releasing a statement saying any announcements would come from Brady himself.
His mother later told NBC Bay Area the information was incorrect, saying “I think his family would know first. I don’t know where it all started (the retirement story).”
Sources also told NBC News that Brady has reached out to Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht to let him know he hasn’t made a final decision on his future yet.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback has made 10 Super Bowl appearances, 15 Pro Bowls, three MVP awards and countless other records.
Brady, who spent the first 20 years of his career with the New England Patriots, had said for years that he planned to play until he was 45.
Brady, who turns 45 on Aug. 3, has already outlasted all players in his own draft class in 2000, when he was drafted 199th overall by the Patriots in Bill Belichick’s first season. He also outlasted all players drafted in 2001, 2002 and 2003.
Brady led the league in passing yards (5,316) and passing touchdowns (43) in 2021, the second time in his career he has led the NFL in both categories in the same season (2007 ).
ESPN’s Adam Schefter and Jeff Darlington reported the news earlier Saturday as the legendary quarterback retires after 22 seasons.
Schefter then shared a statement from Brady’s agent, Don Yee, in which he commented on the retirement report, saying in part, “I understand the anticipated speculation about Tom’s future. Without going into the exactness or the inaccuracy of what is reported. Tom will be the only person to express his plans with perfect accuracy.”
A member of the Hall of Fame teams of the 2000s and 2010s, Brady is retiring as the NFL’s all-time leader in passing yards (84,520), passing touchdowns (624) and passes completed (7,263). Brady is retiring after 47 career playoff games, most all-time and 15 more than the next closest player to former Patriots teammate Adam Vinatieri. His 318 regular season appearances are seventh all-time.
Brady had attempted to lead the Buccaneers to back-to-back Super Bowl titles, something no team had accomplished since Brady’s Patriots in 2003-04.
Over 285 appearances with New England, including 283 starts, Brady went 219-64, plus 30-11 in the playoffs and 6-3 in the Super Bowls. He earned MVP honors with the Patriots in 2007, 2010 and 2017, but did not win the Super Bowl in any of those seasons. Brady was MVP of Super Bowls XXXVI, XXXVIII, XLIX and LI with New England and LV in Tampa Bay.