TAMPA, Fla. — Tom Brady officially announced his retirement on social media Tuesday morning following 22 NFL seasons.
This came just days after news broke Saturday of his possible exit from the football world forever.
In a nine-slide Instagram post, Brady thanked his Bucs teammates, Bucs fans, the Tampa-St. Petersburg region, the Glazer family (Bucs ownership), Bucs GM Jason Licht, Bucs coach Bruce Arians, Bucs staffers, his dietician/trainer Alex Guerrero, his agents Don Yee and Steve Dubin, and his family.
Noticeably missing from that announcement was any mention of the New England Patriots, where Brady played for 20 years before going to Tampa for the final two seasons of his career. And, people noticed.
While he didn't thank or mention at all the Patriots, Patriots fans, his longtime head coach Bill Belichick or the Kraft family (Patriots ownership), he did thank them in a post in March of 2020 when he announced he was leaving the Patriots after 20 seasons to join the Bucs.
“To all my teammates, coaches, executives and staff, Coach Belichick, RKK and the Kraft family and the entire organization,” Brady posted, in part, in March 2020. “I want to say thank you for the past twenty years of my life and the daily commitment to winning and creating a winning club built on great values.”
Even so, many were surprised not to see a mention of the Patriots in his retirement announcement.
The Patriots drafted Brady out of Michigan in the sixth round of the 1999 NFL Draft with the 199th selection. With New England, Brady played from 2000-2019, winning six Super Bowl titles with the organization and three-MVP honors.
The Patriots posted a thank you and congratulations note for Brady on social media following his announcement.
A few hours after his initial announcement, Brady then quote tweeted a tweet from the Patriots Twitter account with a statement from owner Robert Kraft on Brady.
"Thank You Patriots Nation (heart). I'm beyond grateful. Love you all," Brady tweeted.
After joining the Bucs prior to the 2020 season, Brady and the Bucs went on to win Super Bowl 55 in February of 2021.
In this year's playoffs, the Bucs were expected to make a run at another title, but were defeated by the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Divisional Round.
SUBSCRIBE to the Locked On Bucs podcast, your daily podcast covering all things Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Free and available on all platforms
Many expected Brady, 44, to go for one more season with a chance to go out on another Super Bowl win. Brady has won the Super Bowl every other year since 2015. But, those assumptions were quickly squashed this weekend when multiple reports suggested his intention to retire.
Brady's agent and father said over the weekend he was still making up his mind and had not made a determination yet. Even on Brady's "Let's Go podcast" with Jim Gray on Monday, he said he has not made a full decision one way or another. But, just a day later, Brady has announced that he is hanging them up.
Brady finishes his career as the most decorated player in the history of the league. His career included three regular season MVPs, seven Super Bowl rings, five Super Bowl MVPs, six All-Pro selections, and 15 Pro Bowl nods. He holds the all-time records for wins, passing touchdowns, passing yards and completions. On his way out this past season, Brady set an NFL record with 485 completions in a single-season.
SUBSCRIBE to the Locked On NFL podcast, your daily podcast covering league-wide news, rumors and more. Free and available on all platforms