On Feb. 1, Tom Brady announced his retirement for the second time. This announcement came exactly one year after his first retirement announcement, but Brady claims that this time it’s final. After a tough regular season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, it seems that Brady chose his retirement announcement wisely. I respect his dedication to retirement, but he could’ve committed to retirement the first time around.

Considering Brady’s history with a revoked retirement announcement, he made sure to say that it was “for good” this time around. After experiencing retired life for a brief 40 days last year, he realized that devotion to family life did not conquer his love for football. This could explain his recent divorce to supermodel Gisele Bündchen. However, with his retirement hopefully he will dedicate more time with his family, which should have been his priority before retiring.

During his career, Brady put up some statistics that have earned him his reputation as the “greatest of all-time,” or GOAT. Although he is an impressive athlete, Brady’s stat-line from this 2022 season was not as impressive as past seasons. Brady wanted to leave a positive legacy and not have people say that he should have called it quits earlier.

Brady is all about winning, both financially and in football. As a retired man, Brady will make more money than he did while playing for the NFL because of his $375 million deal with FOX Sports to commentate for the sports network.

It’s important to understand the recent evolution of quarterbacks. Brady played a more traditional quarterback role that didn’t include running the ball, and he utilized his arm by making passes. However, in the NFL, mobile quarterbacks are much harder to defend and have become increasingly popular. 

The Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson set the rushing record for a quarterback in a singular season with 1,206 yards in 2019. Compared to Brady’s career of 23 seasons combined rushing total of 1,123 yards. If Brady had gotten running to touch Jackson’s record, would he still be playing for the NFL?

The hits of football are already dangerous at any age and could be season, or even career ending, for someone Brady’s age. Safety could’ve been a major factor of why Brady decided to put his career behind him.

Brady will still be involved with the league, yet at a distance and with more flexibility and safety. He won’t have to worry about his ability to take care of his kids because of an injury or worry about day-to-day activities that professional football injuries can affect.

It’s necessary to remember the role of the Patriots in Brady’s career, as 20 of his seasons and six of his Super Bowl rings were with the Patriots. Most of the records Brady set were while he played for the Patriots, and his legacy is one that many fans associate with New England. Even Patriots owner, Robert Kraft, wants Brady to sign a one-day contract so that he will retire as a Patriot.

Brady had a great run in the NFL, and it will be interesting to see what he does during this new chapter of his life. Football fans will miss getting to watch Brady play, but he will still be part of the league, just in a new way. Brady will make more money when retired, spend more time with family and he can still fuel his love of the game by commentating, so can you really blame him?