Last week, superstar quarterback and seven-time Super Bowl champion, Tom Brady, announced that he would retire after 23 NFL seasons.
Brady’s decision caught many by surprise as there began to be a growing belief that he would continue playing with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers or another team for at least one more year.
The move even shocked his longtime former teammate Rob Gronkowski.
“Tom is not reopening that door. I don’t know. Maybe he is. I don’t know,” Gronkowski said via NFL.com. “I would just say I was shocked because I would say he still has some left in the tank. There’s no doubt about that. I felt like Tom could play until 50 years old. … But he chose to hang it up at 45, and I’m proud of him. I’m proud to be his teammate. I’m proud of everything he has accomplished. I’m just happy for him, whatever he chooses to do next.”
Gronkowski isn’t alone as Brady certainly appeared that he could continue to play at least one more season. He had an opportunity to choose where he wanted to play in 2023 as he would have been a free agent.
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Instead, he steps into retirement as a sure-fire first-ballot Hall of Famer with a resume that may never be matched. He is the only player with more than five Super Bowl wins, five Super Bowl MVPs, and 10 Super Bowl appearances.
Meanwhile, Brady has voiced that he will begin his broadcast career with Fox Sports in 2024. He reportedly signed a 10-year, $375 contract with the company last offseason.