Tom Brady Retiring After Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Playoff Loss, Report Says

02/05/2022 02:48 pm EST

Tom Brady is getting ready to retire from the NFL. According to Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback is preparing to retire from the game, with an official announcement coming soon. La Canfora says Brady doesn't want to wait to make a decision later because he doesn't want to cut into the Buccaneers' ability to change their plans for the 2022 season. At the same time, he doesn't want to take the attention away from the teams who are playing in the Super Bowl.

"He is very respectful of the game, and has great respect for the Tampa organization and all they have done for him," one source close to the quarterback, told La Canfora. "He understands the ramifications that this decision would have on the team moving forward, and he would never want to do anything to upstage the playoffs. Whatever he decides, I'd expect he announces it soon."  

Many of Brady's teammates believe that 2021 is his final NFL season despite not saying much about his plans. After the Buccaneers lost to the Los Angeles Rams in the divisional round of the playoffs last weekend, Brady was not committed to playing in 2022. 

 "I understand that at this stage in my career, there is going to be interest in my future whenever a season ends, but this week, all that is on my mind is the gratitude I have for this team and the fans that have supported us all year long," Brady wrote in an Instagram post this week. "This year has been incredibly rewarding personally and professionally and I am appreciative of everyone who worked their ass off to help our team achieve so much."

Brady signed with the Bucs in 2020 after spending 20 seasons with the New England Patriots in his first season in Tampa Bay Brady helped the Bucs win the Super Bowl, the team's first championship in 18 years. For Brady, he has played in 10 Super Bowls while winning seven of them. He has also won five Super Bowl MVP awards, three NFL MVP awards and he's the league's all-time leader in passing yards and passing touchdowns. Brady is the second quarterback in NFL history to win a Super Bowl title with two different teams. 

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