Tom Brady Retires After 22 Seasons

Tom Brady has retired from the game of football after 22 seasons.

Trying to write this article is hard. Just plain hard. To summarize in one article everything Tom Brady has done is not only difficult, it is impossible. No one can do it. He has just done too much for the sports world to be a one article story. But might as well try, so here goes.

Tom Brady, 6’4”, 211 pounds, out of the University of Michigan, was projected no higher than the 5th round in the 2000 NFL Draft by Mel Kiper, one of the lead draft analysts in the sports world. The first five rounds went by and Brady was still on the board, not too surprising — after all, he was projected no higher than the 5th round, it wouldn’t have been a shocker if he slipped down to the 6th or 7th round. It was pick 199 of the draft. The Patriots were on the clock. They took Tom. This was not a franchise QB pick, it was a “he’s the best available” kind of pick. They already had a three time pro-bowl QB in Drew Bledsoe. It was an under the radar pick, but not for long.

Brady made only one appearance in his first season. But in Week Two of his second season, Brady was called upon to replace Bledsoe after a violent hit left him unable to complete the game. It ended in a loss, but from then on the starting QB spot was Brady’s to lose. He kept it, and famously went on to win his first Super Bowl that season, going 11-3 in his starts. It was definitely not his best season, with a stat line of 18 TD, 12 INT, and a 63.9% completion rate. But honestly, what more could be asked of him than winning the Super Bowl?

How about another one? That didn’t happen in 2002, although Brady did have a better year at QB, throwing 28 TD and 14 TD with a 62.1% completion rate. He was the Patriots’ starting QB, but they didn’t even give themselves a chance to defend their title after posting a 9-7 record and missing out on the playoffs. The critics were already questioning: is Brady the real deal?

He was, and he proved that with another Super Bowl win. Posting a 14-2 record, Tom Brady answered the questions with as sound of an answer as possible. Two Super Bowls in three years. He was the real deal. But as always there was still a question: how many more?

The answer was four more. Tom Brady won four more Super Bowls with the Patriots, cementing himself as the winningest player in history. During his time with the Patriots, he surpassed Charles Harley for the most Super Bowl wins by any one player, won three MVP awards, a comeback of the year award, two offensive player of the year awards (both of which were in MVP seasons), and the Best Breakthrough Athlete ESPY Award.

It was March of 2020 (don’t worry I’m not switching to an article on Covid) and Tom was not sure if he would ever play again. There were many rumors about him signing with the Buccaneers, especially after he started renting a place in Tampa Bay. And Tom did end up signing in Tampa, leaving the organization that had been his home for the past 18 years.

Tampa was ready to win and they did. Tom got his last Super Bowl ring and cemented himself as the GOAT (greatest of all time). He has won more Super Bowls than any other player, or team, in history. He could also win four MVPs after this season, but may settle for three. Last year at the age of 43 he won the Best Male Athlete ESPY Award! He is the ultimate team leader and you can never count him out of a game. He came back against the Falcons from a 28-3 deficit with 17 minutes left to win Super Bowl 51, one of his greatest games. He is the sports icon of two decades, the excalibur of football, and has reached the Super Bowl in nearly half of the seasons he’s played, 10 out of 22! In only three seasons of his 22 season career has he missed the playoffs, including his rookie season, in which he only threw the ball three times! He also ranks first in an incredible amount of categories. He’s first place in Passing Yards, Passing Touchdowns, Wins, Win Percentage, Pro Bowl appearances, Super Bowl appearances, Super Bowl MVPs, and, as I stated before, Super Bowl wins. That’s not all, he also ranks first in multiple playoff categories as well. He’s first in Playoff Passing Yards, Playoff Touchdowns, and Playoff Wins to name a few.

You expect the very best from Tom Brady, and he delivers time and time again with more than what you had asked for. He is unquestionably the greatest football player ever.

Well I can say I attempted to summarize Tom Brady’s career in one article, but it was definitely a grueling task. One last thing before you exit out of this article, keep in mind that this was the short answer for why he is the GOAT. The long answer we can save for when he makes it to the Hall of Fame.

SAM OSTROW

Writer at The City Voice | 4th in the Nation for Junior High Story of the Year | MIPA Honorable Mention Award Winner

Hi! My name is Sam Ostrow and I'm a freshman at City High School. This is my second year writing for The City Voice. I enjoy watching and playing Sports, reading books, and of course writing. I also like to debate and collect baseball cards. If you have any questions, email me at ostrow-s@students.grps.org.