Neil Reynolds
American Football Expert & Columnist
Tom Brady retires from the NFL: Seven-time Super Bowl winning quarterback the 'greatest we'll ever see', says Neil Reynolds
Tom Brady confirmed he was retiring from the NFL "for good" in a video posted on Twitter on Wednesday, a year on from reversing his initial decision to retire; the 45-year-old has won a record seven Super Bowls, appearing in 10 of them, over the course of his 23-year career
Last Updated: 02/02/23 12:07pm
Sky Sports' Neil Reynolds gives his reaction to the retirement of seven-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback Tom Brady from the NFL on Wednesday, calling time on an incredible 23-year career at the age of 45...
It's a sad day. Brady will be sorely missed.
I think he summed it up best. He knew he made a big deal of it last time round; he wanted to exit a bit quicker and without as much fuss. But he deserves all of the fuss, all of the praise, all of the accolades.
He's the greatest we've ever seen, the greatest we will ever see. We'll never see his like again.
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To win seven of the 10 Super Bowls he played in - six of them with the New England Patriots, and then taking another team straight to the Super Bowl in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers - it's amazing.
He won three Super Bowls in his 20s, two in his 30s, and two in his 40s; I just don't think anyone can match that.
Brady the 'ultimate competitor'
I saw him win his first in Super Bowl 36 and I presented the coverage when he won his seventh, at the age of 43. I was privileged to be at six of them, actually in the stadiums, and you just knew you were watching greatness.
Even in the three Super Bowls he lost, you could argue he was the best player on the field. In the one he lost to the Philadelphia Eagles in the 2017 season, he threw for close to 500 yards!
And, not only was Brady great on the field, but he was also an outstanding ambassador for the NFL off the field. He conducted himself brilliantly the whole way through his career; I got to meet him a few times and he was just a joy to interview.
There is that argument that he carried on one year too long. But, to me, he was still right at the top of his game.
I don't think anything he did in the last two years damages his legacy. He had his team in the playoffs at the age of 44 and 45, which is just stunning - absolutely stunning.
I think, for someone like Tom Brady, it's hard to walk away.
Brady now facing 'biggest challenge'
He could have gone out as a champion with Tampa Bay in 2020, but he came back. He then probably shouldn't have come out of retirement last year, if you think about it, but he's the ultimate competitor.
He always said his favourite Super Bowl ring was the next one. And I think if he'd have found another team, like the San Francisco 49ers, for this year, he could even have chased [Super Bowl] number eight.
Instead, he's now going to move on to TV commentary and, while I'm sure he's going to be amazing at that as well, it's the biggest challenge for him - more so than any defender he has ever stared down, or any last-minute drive needed to win a Super Bowl.
I don't think he knows yet how to operate away from the NFL, that's why he retired for only 40 days last year.
This time it's for good, I believe it is - I believe he's done - but that's his biggest challenge. This has been his lifeblood for 23 seasons.
Brady the 'classic underdog story'
He leaves behind a huge hole in the NFL too.
There are young quarterbacks coming up all the time. Joe Burrow of the Cincinnati Bengals is one who has been compared to Brady, but he hasn't won a Super Bowl yet. There's also Patrick Mahomes, who has now played in five-straight Super Bowl semi-finals (AFC Championship games).
As it stands right now, Mahomes has one Super Bowl win, with him chasing number two a week on Sunday when the Kansas City Chiefs face the Eagles in Super Bowl 57. But has got to start stacking those wins if he's going to match Brady.
The other thing with Brady is, he's the classic underdog story, and we all love an underdog story in sport.
Brady wasn't allowed to play on his high-school team, couldn't get a game, despite the fact they hadn't won all year. He then went to the University of Michigan where on their list of quarterbacks, Brady's name was number seven.
He was picked 199th overall in the 2000 NFL Draft - no-one had heard of him - and yet he went from those humble beginnings to become the best NFL player we will ever see. Arguably the best sportsman ever.
Running the 40-yard sprint at the NFL combine before the draft, he was this skinny, unathletic kid, like he'd just come out of the office, with a baggy t-shirt on. He couldn't have looked less like an American Football player; his legs were gangly, he looked like he was going to fall over.
It was the least impressive five seconds of a man running 40 yards you'd ever see in your life. He went from that to an absolute legend of the sport.
It was a privilege. It has been an absolute privilege to cover the career of Tom Brady.
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