Seven-time Super Bowl winning quarterback Tom Brady said he would end his brief retirement on Sunday, announcing his return to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for a 23rd NFL season just six weeks after hanging up his cleats.
Brady, who had established himself as one of the greatest players in league history, stunned the sporting world with the unexpected about face.
"These past two months I've realized my place is still on the field and not in the stands," said Brady on his official Twitter account. "That time will come. But it's not now. I love my teammates, and I love my supportive family.
"They make it all possible. I'm coming back for my 23rd season in Tampa. Unfinished business LFG."
Shortly after Brady made his announcement the Buccaneers reacted with their own message on Twitter: "He's baaackkkk," the team said with a video of the quarterback taking the field.
The NFL echoed that sentiment, tweeting a photo of a smiling Brady with the caption "He's back."
Tampa head coach Bruce Arians said he was "ecstatic" about the development.
"As Tom said, his place right now is on the football field," Arians said. "He is still playing at a championship level and was as productive as anyone in the league last season."
Perhaps Brady was inspired to make a comeback after watching another sporting great, Cristiano Ronaldo, scored a hat trick in Manchester United's 3-2 Premier League win on Saturday over Tottenham Hotspur at Old Trafford.
Brady walked onto the pitch to greet 37-year-old Ronaldo after the match, and a day later announced his return to the gridiron.
The 44-year-old Brady spent 20 seasons with the New England Patriots, winning six Super Bowls before moving to Tampa Bay and leading the Bucs to a championship in his first season with the team.
Brady's decision to retire on February 1 was not unexpected but came after the future Hall of Famer had enjoyed one of the best seasons of his long career.
Last season Brady was a top contender for what would have been a fourth most valuable player award after leading the NFL in touchdown passes and passing yards.
News of his un-retirement had an immediate impact on sports books.
The Bucs are now favored to win the NFC next season and Brady is tied for third with Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen to win the MVP award, according to Caesars Sportsbook.
Brady's return will bring a quick end to the Buccaneers' search for a starting quarterback.
Tampa was rumored to be interested in acquiring Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson or Russell Wilson, who was traded from the Seattle Seahawks to the Denver Broncos last week.
Tom Brady's style evolution
-
Tom Brady holds the Most Valuable Player award for Super Bowl XXVI in New Orleans, the US, on February 4, 2002. AFP -
Brady and Adriana Lima attend the 'Backstage Sexy' book launch on February 11, 2003, in New York City. Getty -
Bridget Moynahan and Brady, in a grey checked Zegna suit, attend the Ermenegildo Zegna flagship store opening April 13, 2004, in New York City. Getty -
Brady and actress Moynahan at the 'I, Robot' premiere on July 7, 2004. in Los Angeles, California. Getty -
Brady and the New England Patriots accept the Espy award for Best Game at the Kodak Theatre on July 14, 2004, in Hollywood, California. Getty -
Moynahan and Brady arrive at the 'Vanity Fair' Oscars party on February 27, 2005, in West Hollywood, California. Getty -
Brady and Moynahan attend the Met Gala at The Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 2, 2005, in New York City. Getty -
Brady, in a velvet jacket, is introduced before Super Bowl XL on February 5, 2006, in Detroit, Michigan. Getty -
Moynahan and Brady at the Met Gala at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City, on May 1, 2006. Getty -
Brady at an Audi Best Buddies reception on May 16, 2008, in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts. WireImage -
Tom Brady, in a grey Best Buddies fleece, speaks at the The Audi Best Buddies Challenge at Hyannis Port, Massachusetts on May 17, 2008. WireImage -
Brady attends an Audi event at The Delano Hotel on December 3, 2008, in Miami, Florida. Getty -
Brady with model Gisele Bundchen at the Met Gala in New York City on May 4, 2009. Getty -
Brady at Barnstable Brown for the 136th Kentucky Derby on April 30, 2010, in Louisville, Kentucky. Getty -
At Harry Josh and Nur Khan's Spring Fling in New York on May 1, 2010. Getty -
Brady, in a Polo Ralph Lauren shirt, attends a flag football match to start the 2010 Audi Best Buddies Challenge on June 4, 2010, in Boston, Massachusetts. Getty -
Brady sports a Zegna leather jacket at the brand's store opening on September 20, 2011, in Boston, Massachusetts. Getty -
Brady attends Royal Oak 40 Years: From Avant-Garde to Icon at Park Avenue Armory on March 21, 2012, in New York City. Getty -
Brady and Bundchen attend the Met Gala at The Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 7, 2012, in New York City. Getty -
Brady at the 2013 Derby gala at Barnstable Brown House on May 3, 2013, in Louisville, Kentucky. Getty -
Brady and Bundchen at the Met Gala on May 6, 2013. AFP -
Brady attends the 2013 Carnegie Hall Medal of Excellence Gala at the Waldorf Astoria New York, on June 13, 2013. Getty -
At the Barnstable Brown Kentucky Derby Eve Gala on May 2, 2014, in Louisville, Kentucky. Getty -
Brady at the Colcci show in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on April 15, 2015. Getty -
Brady in a navy velvet jacket at 2015 Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs on May 1, 2015, in Louisville, Kentucky. Getty -
Brady at the Montreal Grand Prix on June 11, 2016, in Canada. Getty -
Brady, in a metallic silver tuxedo, and Bundchen attend the Met Gala in New York City on May 1, 2017. EPA -
Brady sports a tan fedora at the 143rd Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs on May 6, 2017, in Louisville. Getty -
Brady arrives for Super Bowl LII on January 29, 2018, at the Minneapolis-St Paul International Airport in Minnesota. Getty -
Brady and Bundchen at the Met Gala in New York City on May 7, 2018. EPA -
Brady at a Tag Heuer event during the Formula 1 Grand Prix de Monaco on May 26, 2018. Getty -
A more casual Brady at the Super Bowl Media Centre at the World Congress Centre in Atlanta, Georgia, on January 31, 2019. AFP -
Brady and Bundchen at a UCLA ceremony honouring her and Barbra Streisand at the 2019 Hollywood for Science Gala on February 21, 2019, in Beverly Hills, California. AFP -
Brady and Bundchen at the Met Gala on May 6, 2019, in New York City. Getty -
Brady arrives at Gillette Stadium on November 24, 2019, in Foxborough, Massachusetts. AFP -
Ready for tee-off, Brady arrives for The Match: Champions for Charity at Medalist Golf Club on May 24, 2020, in Hobe Sound, Florida. Getty -
Different lawns. Brady arrives for US President Joe Biden's ceremony to honour the Super Bowl LV champions Tampa Bay Buccaneers on the South Portico of the White House in Washington, DC, on July 20, 2021. EPA -
Brady at the 2021 Sports Illustrated Awards at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino on December 07, 2021, in Hollywood, Florida. Getty
Brady's announcement comes just days before the official start of free agency.
A lightly regarded prospect coming out of college, Brady was the 199th pick in the 2000 NFL Draft but made the most of his chance when it finally came and turned around the fortunes of the Patriots franchise.
At the start of the 2001 campaign Brady was a then-unknown backup but took over the starting role in the second game of the season after starter Drew Bledsoe went down with an injury and he never relinquished the role.
Brady led the Patriots to an 11-3 record that season, which culminated with an upset win over of the St Louis Rams in the Super Bowl where he was named the game’s MVP, beginning one of the greatest dynasties across any sport.
Among the most excited people to hear about Brady's return was Rams cornerback Jalen Ramsey, who had been the defender Brady victimized for his final career touchdown pass. Now other defensive backs could face that fate.
"THANK YOU," Ramsey tweeted, "throw that last touchdown on somebody else."
Brady, a five-time Super Bowl Most Valuable Player and three-time NFL season MVP, already has a record 243 regular-season victories.
Brady will be rewriting the NFL record book every week. He already owns NFL career passing records with 7,263 completions on 11,317 attempts for 84,520 yards and 624 touchdowns.
The record he wants to erase the most is the one he holds as the oldest player to play in and win a Super Bowl, a stage he graced no fewer than 10 occasions.
His legacy includes a fightback victory in the 2017 Super Bowl when he led New England from a 25-point deficit to complete the greatest comeback in Super Bowl history.
Brady said last month he would recall his career as a "thrilling ride" and would "remember and cherish these memories and re-visit them often," saying he felt like "the luckiest person in the world."
For all the accolades Brady received from sports stars around the world, he actually took the advice of retired NBA icon Shaquille O'Neal, who tweeted last month that Brady should "Get your butt up and do one more year."
