Tom Brady is retiring after 22 seasons in the NFL. Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Seven-time Super Bowl champ Tom Brady retiring after 22 seasons

By Adam Stites | Last updated 1/29/22

Tom Brady is retiring after 22 seasons in the NFL that saw him set league records for passing yards, passing touchdowns, wins and Super Bowl victories.

Brady, 44, was a sixth-round pick of the New England Patriots in 2000 and took over as the team's starter in 2001 when Drew Bledsoe suffered an injury. Brady led the Patriots to six Super Bowl wins and then won a seventh after signing with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as a free agent in 2020.

The news of his decision to retire was reported Saturday by ESPN's Adam Schefter and Jeff Darlington. The report was seemingly confirmed by Brady's company, TB12 Sports, and the NFL with both tweeting out congratulations to the quarterback. However, TB12 would delete the tweet afterward, as noted by Zack Cox of NESN:

The TB12 Sports account deleted this Brady farewell tweet. pic.twitter.com/Iu4CJOB1NP
— Zack Cox (@ZackCoxNESN) January 29, 2022

GOAT. #ThankYouTom pic.twitter.com/6NJ4ODwSoO
— NFL (@NFL) January 29, 2022

In September, Brady told the Wall Street Journal that he'd "definitely" play through the 2022 season and then “maybe it’s another year after that; maybe it’s two." But earlier this month, ESPN reported Brady was suddenly "noncommittal" about returning for another year. After a 30-27 loss to the Los Angeles Rams eliminated the Buccaneers from the postseason, Brady spoke frankly about his desire to spend time with family.

Brady ends his career with a 243-73 record as a starter in regular-season games and a 35-12 record in the postseason. Both win totals are NFL records, as are his 84,520 passing yards and 624 touchdowns. He was named the NFL MVP three times and the Super Bowl MVP five times.

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