Quarterback Tom Brady to retire from the NFL after 22 seasons at age 44

The greatest quarterback of all-time and the greatest story in New England sports history will be hanging up his cleats.

According to ESPN, Tom Brady is retiring from the NFL after 22 ridiculously successful seasons that saw him develop from a sixth-round pick to a seven-time Super Bowl champion. The level of success Brady, 44, achieved may never be matched. Brady won six Super Bowls as the starting quarterback for the New England Patriots. He retires after spending the past two seasons in Tampa Bay, where he earned another ring.

Soon after news broke Brady's agent, Don Yee, issued a statement to ESPN that read, "I understand the advance speculation about Tom’s future. Without getting into the accuracy or inaccuracy of what’s being reported, Tom will be the only person to express his plans with complete accuracy. He knows the realities of the football business and planning calendar as well as anybody, so that should be soon.”

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A sixth-round pick, selected at 199, in the 2000 NFL Draft, no one could’ve predicted the career that was about to unfold for this San Mateo, Calif., native.

Brady's still here: Everywhere you can find the former Patriots QB around Gillette Stadium.

Brady entered the NFL as a backup behind Drew Bledsoe, who the Patriots made the highest paid player in the league, only to take the veterans jobs in 2001 after Bledsoe suffered from internal bleeding after a hit from New York Jets linebacker Mo Lewis. Not only did Brady unseat a franchise quarterback, but he then led the Patriots to the franchise’s first Super Bowl win, in an incredible upset victory over the St. Louis Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI.

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At first, the Patriots dynasty was built off strong defensive play and a clutch young quarterback with ice in his veins. By his fifth NFL season, Brady helped the Patriots win three Super Bowls with wins over the Carolina Panthers (Super Bowl XXXVIII) and Philadelphia Eagles (XXXIX). Those first five years would’ve been enough to place Brady among the all-time greats in NFL and Patriots history.

Instead, Brady developed into the greatest quarterback of all-time. He won three NFL MVP awards in 2007, 2010 and 2017. In 2007, Brady set an NFL record with 50 touchdown passes to go with 4,806 passing yards. He led the Pats to the NFL’s first undefeated regular season since the 16-game schedule began in 1978. Of course, that season ended in disappointment with the Patriots losing to the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLII. That marked the first of what would be three Super Bowl losses for Brady and the Patriots. They also lost to the Giants during the 2011 season in Super Bowl LII.

You could easily break Brady’s career off in multiple parts. There was the first part of the dynasty with the three Super Bowl rings. There was the middle part from 2005-2013 where Brady suffered his only season-ending injury in 2008 and as good as the team’s offense was, the Patriots went 10 years before they’d win another Super Bowl.

Brady's still here: Everywhere you can find the former Patriots QB around Gillette Stadium.

Brady’s last run with the Patriots (2014-2019) was spectacular. In 2014, he won his fourth Super Bowl title with the Patriots in Super Bowl XLIX over the Seattle Seahawks. Brady was named the Super Bowl MVP for the third time in his career, tying Joe Montana’s record. He finishes his career with an NFL record five Super Bowl MVPs.

Controversy marked this period of Brady’s career when he was suspended for four games over the Deflategate scandal. Brady appealed the suspension with the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. Although some – including Brady – claimed weather forced footballs in the 2014 AFC Championship game to be deflated, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodwill claimed Brady ordered two Patriots employees to deflate footballs.

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That cost Brady four games to start the 2016 season, but marked the start of one of the most successful runs in NFL history. The Patriots won their fifth Super Bowl that year with Brady getting the ultimate revenge for the scandal. That game – Super Bowl LI – also saw Brady orchestrate the biggest comeback in Super Bowl history. The Patriots were trailing the Atlanta Falcons 28-3 midway through the third quarter. Brady & Co. scored 25 unanswered points to force overtime before winning. Brady won his record fourth Super Bowl MVP that night.

The Pats ended up going to three Super Bowls in a row. As Brady aged through his late 30’s, he never showed signs of slowing down.

After beating the Falcons, Brady and the Patriots lost to the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LII the next season. Brady threw for a Super Bowl and playoff record 505 yards in the 41-33 loss. That season saw a 40-year-old Brady lead the NFL in passing yards en route to his third NFL MVP award. In typical Brady fashion, he got the Patriots back to the Super Bowl the next season. The quarterback won his sixth ring in a 13-3 win over the Rams in Super Bowl LIII.

The 2019 season saw Brady’s time in New England come to an end. With rumors swirling of discontent between him and coach Bill Belichick, the quarterback signed a new contract that summer that voided at the end of the league year and didn’t allow the Patriots to place the franchise tag on him.

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The Pats season ended in the wildcard round that year. Two months later, Brady announced he was signing with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. At age 43, he did it again – leading the Buccaneers to a 31-9 championship win over the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LV.

Brady won the MVP on that night as well. He also became the second quarterback in NFL history, joining Peyton Manning to lead two different teams to Super Bowl wins, but the first to earn Super Bowl MVP honors with two different franchises.

He became the oldest quarterback to start a Super Bowl, win and win the MVP award. With seven Super Bowl titles, Brady has the most championships in NFL history and ties Otto Graham for the most in professional football history.

In his final season, at age 44, Brady finished with a career-high 5,316 passing yards to go with 43 passing touchdowns. Both marks led the NFL. The Buccaneers season ended in the wild card round. Of course, after falling behind 27-3, Brady led Tampa Bay to tie the game with 24 unanswered points before the Rams won in the closing seconds.

After 22 years, seven championships and a spoiled New England fan base, Tom Brady is now onto Canton.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Tom Brady, NFL quarterback, retiring after 22 seasons, 7 Super Bowls