Tom Brady is Retiring

Tom Brady is Retiring


February 1, 2022
Tom Brady

The greatest NFL player of all time is retiring. The nice thing about Tom Brady is that unlike in other sports, the clear GOAT in football is Brady. Nobody else can lay claim to that spot, not after 7 Super Bowl wins, 10 Super Bowl appearances, and 14 conference championship games.

Not after 84,520 passing yards, which is #1 all time. Not after 7,263 completions, which is #1 all time. Not after 624 passing touchdowns, which is #1 all time.

Not after switching teams late in his career and winning the Super Bowl in year one for a previously struggling franchise, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Here are the quarterbacks taken in the 2000 NFL Draft, along with Brady, and their final year in the NFL:

  • Marshall’s Chad Pennington to the Jets (Rd. 1, #18 overall): 2010
  • Hofstra’s Giovanni Carmazzi to the 49ers (Rd. 3, #65): 2001
  • Louisville’s Chris Redman to the Ravens (Rd. 3, #75): 2011
  • Tennessee’s Tee Martin to the Steelers (Rd. 5, #163): 2003
  • Virginia’s Marc Bulger to the Saints (Rd. 6, #168): 2010
  • Southwest Texas State’s Spergon Wynn to the Browns (Rd. 6, #183): 2001
  • Michigan’s Tom Brady to the Patriots (Rd. 6, #199): 2021
  • Stanford’s Todd Husak to the Redskins (Rd. 6, #202): 2000
  • Florida A&M’s Ja’Juan Seider to the Chargers (Rd. 6, #205): 2000
  • Louisiana Tech’s Tim Rattay to the 49ers (Rd. 7, #212): 2007
  • Notre Dame’s Jarious Jackson to the Broncos (Rd. 7, #214): 2003
  • Georgia Tech’s Joe Hamilton to the Buccaneers (Rd. 7, #234): 2004

That shows you just how long Brady outlasted everyone else in his draft. Pennington was a decent QB who had some injury issues, and Bulger had a couple decent seasons with the Rams, but everyone else was a flop. And Brady kept plugging away – no, excelling – for 22 seasons.

Personally, I remember lying on the floor in my living room watching him shred Alabama in the Orange Bowl and being in awe of what was happening. Brady just had that “It” factor where things always seemed like they would turn out okay, and I don’t think I felt such confidence in a Michigan quarterback since watching Elvis Grbac as a wee lad.

It’s sad to see him step away, but it was fun knowing each and every year that a Michigan man was going to be consistently excellent to watch and root for in the NFL.

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