Tom Brady: NFL great 'retiring for good' after 23 seasons and seven Super Bowl wins

Buccaneers quarterback calls time on career one year after making same announcement

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback and NFL great Tom Brady has retired after 23 seasons and seven Super Bowl wins. Getty

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady and tight end Rob Gronkowski celebrate after beating Kansas City Chiefs to win the Super Bowl in 2021. AP

Tom Brady leaves the field after Tampa Bay's defeat to the Los Angeles Rams in the NFL divisional round play-off on Sunday, January 23, 2022. AP

New England Patriots' Tom Brady raises the Vince Lombardi Trophy after defeating the Atlanta Falcons in overtime in the 2017 Super Bowl in Houston. AP

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady celebrates with the Vince Lombardi Trophy after the NFL Super Bowl victory over the Seattle Seahawks in 2015. The Patriots won 28-24. AP

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady raises the Vince Lombardi Trophy after they beat the Philadelphia Eagles, 24-21, in the 2005 Super Bowl. AP

New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft and Tom Brady celebrate after defeating the Atlanta Falcons at the 2017 Super Bowl in Houston, Texas. AFP

Tom Brady after the Patriots beat the St Louis Rams 20-17 in Super Bowl XXXVI at the Louisiana Superdome, on Sunday, February 3, 2002. AP

Patriots' Tom Brady holds his daughter, Vivian, after the Super Bowl victory against the Los Angeles Rams in 2019, in Atlanta. The Patriots won 13-3. AP

Tampa Bay's Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski celebrate after winning the 2021 Super Bowl. AP

Patriots quarterback Tom Brady with head coach Bill Belichick after defeating the Miami Dolphins 41-13 in an NFL game in December 14, 2014. AP

Patriots quarterback Tom Brady waves during a photoshoot at University of Phoenix Stadium in 2008. AP

Patriots' Tom Brady embraces owner Robert Kraft after the 2019 Super Bowl win over the Los Angeles Rams in Atlanta. The Patriots won 13-3. AP

Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians talks to quarterback Tom Brady before an NFL game against the Carolina Panthers in 2022. AP

New England Patriots quarterbacks Drew Bledsoe and Tom Brady in January, 2002. AP

Tom Brady with wife Gisele Bundchen in 2017. AP

Michigan quarterback Tom Brady behind coach Lloyd Carr after a 35-34 overtime win against Alabama at the FedEx Orange Bowl NCAA college game in Miami Gardens in January, 2000. AP

Exactly a year after he last announced his retirement, NFL great Tom Brady has once again called time on his incredible career.

The 45-year-old Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback released a video on Twitter saying he was “retiring for good” from the sport he has played for 23 seasons.

Brady spent 20 trophy-filled campaigns with the New England Patriots, winning six Super Bowl titles, before joining Tampa Bay and leading the Bucs to a championship in 2021.

One year ago, Brady made the announcement that he was ending his career saying it was “time to focus my time and energy on other things that require my attention” and leaving the sport having won five Super Bowl Most Valuable Player awards.

But just over a month later, Brady reversed that decision. “These past two months I've realised my place is still on the field and not in the stands … I'm coming back for my 23rd season in Tampa. Unfinished business LFG,” said Brady on his official Twitter account.

In January, the Buccaneers fell to a dispiriting 31-14 loss to the visiting Dallas Cowboys in the Wild Card Round, despite having earned a home game to start the postseason with their second consecutive NFC South title.

It was a humbling defeat that left Brady saying: “That's not the way we wanted to end it. I give them a lot of credit – they played a good game. They made a lot more plays than we did. So, rough night.

“I'm going to go home and get a good night's sleep, as much as I can tonight. There's been a lot of focus on this game. One day at a time, truly.”

And now Brady has decided that the time is right to end his career. “Good morning, guys, I’ll get to the point right away: I’m retiring for good,” he said on Wednesday.

“I know the process was a pretty big deal last time, so when I woke up this morning I figured I’d just press record and let you guys know first. So I won’t be long-winded.

“I think you only get one super emotional retirement essay, and I used mine up last year. So, really, thank you guys, so much, to every single one of you, for supporting me. My family, my friends, teammates, my competitors, I could go on forever, there’s too many. Thank you, guys, for letting me live my absolute dream. I wouldn’t change a thing. Love you all.”

Brady is the NFL’s career leader in yards passing (89,214) and touchdowns (649). He’s the only player to win more than five Super Bowls and has been MVP of the game five times.

Brady has won three NFL MVP awards, been a first-team All-Pro three times and selected to the Pro Bowl 15 times.

It was announced last year that when Brady retires from playing, he would join Fox Sports as a television analyst in a 10-year, $375 million deal.