Tom Brady announces his retirement: “I have tried my very best”

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady has announced he is retiring from the NFL.  The football legend finishes his 22-year career with seven Super Bowl wins, the most of any player in history.

“I have loved my NFL career, and now it is time to focus my time and energy on other things that require my attention,” he wrote on Instagram Tuesday, after days of speculation.

Brady spent the majority of his NFL career with the New England Patriots, during which time he went to 14 Pro Bowls and won six Super Bowls. He signed with Tampa Bay in 2020, and helped lead the team to a Super Bowl win in 2021 — the first for the team since 2003. 

“I have always believed the sport of football is an ‘all-in’ proposition — if a 100% competitive commitment isn’t there, you won’t succeed, and success is what I love so much about our game,” Brady wrote Tuesday. “There is a physical, mental, and emotional challenge EVERY single day that has allowed me to maximize my highest potential. And I have tried my very best these past 22 years.” 

“This is difficult for me to write, but here it goes: I am not going to make that competitive commitment anymore,” he wrote.

Brady’s announcement comes less than 24 hours after he said on his radio show “Let’s Go! With Tom Brady, Larry Fitzgerald and Jim Gray” that “sometimes it takes some time to really evaluate how you feel, what you want to do.” 

“I think when the time’s right, I’ll be ready to make a decision one way or another.”