Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady announced his retirement from the NFL on Wednesday in a short video on social media, exactly one year to the day after he stepped away from the game for the first time.
“I’ll get to the point right away. I’m retiring, for good,” Brady said in the video.
The GOAT, who was drafted in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL draft, is calling it quits at 45 years old after completing 23 seasons in the NFL. Brady won seven of the 10 Super Bowls he played in—six with the New England Patriots and one with the Buccaneers—while winning MVP in five of those championships. He also racked up three NFL MVP awards and 15 Pro Bowl nominations, and he holds several NFL records, including most passing yards (89,214), touchdowns (649) and completions (7,753). Brady also has the most career playoff passing yards of any NFL quarterback by a longshot at 13,400; the next-closest is Peyton Manning, with 7,339.
With his NFL career in the rearview mirror, Brady will turn to a deal to serve the lead analyst at Fox Sports. He signed a multiyear deal last year to call games after his retirement alongside Kevin Burkhardt, replacing Troy Aikman, who left with Joe Buck to call Monday Night Football on ESPN. Greg Olsen called games alongside Burkhardt this year, receiving widespread praise in his first season in Fox’s booth.
Brady ranked No. 16 in Sportico’s ranking of highest-paid athletes in 2022, earning $18.4 million on the field and $40 million off it. He's the highest-paid NFL player of all time, with $550 million, including his $200+ million in off-field earnings since he was drafted.
The QB often took below-market deals with the Patriots to help the club build its roster under the salary cap, but still racked up $333 million in playing salary and bonuses during his career, per Spotrac. He ranks ahead of Aaron Rodgers ($306 million), Matthew Stafford ($301 million) and Matt Ryan ($292 million) on the all-time list. Wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald ($181 million) is the first non-quarterback among the top on-field earners at No. 13.
Brady was selective with his endorsement choices while with the Patriots, but he was more active off the field in recent years, adding deals with T-Mobile, Hertz, FTX and Subway. He has endorsed Under Armour since 2010, and others sponsors include IWC, Wheels Up and Christopher Cloos. He signed a lucrative, long-term memorabilia and autograph deal with Fanatics in 2020.
His jersey and related merchandise is is typically the NFL’s top seller, which means a multimillion-dollar royalty check from the NFL Players Association every year. His group licensing income was $9.5 million for the 12 months ending in February 2022.
Brady and fellow celebrities, Stephen Curry, Giselle Bündchen, Shaquille O’Neal and Larry David, are being sued for their promotion of the now-bankrupt FTX. Brady’s 1.1 million shares in the cryptocurrency exchange were worth $45 million at one point.
He has accelerated his business ventures beyond TB12, his supplements and fitness products venture with longtime trainer and confidant Alex Guerrero. In 2020, he launched a production company, 199 Productions, in a nod to his slot in the 2000 NFL Draft. Brady co-founded the NFT platform Autograph, and the company announced $170 million in new capital last year from a funding round led by venture capital firms Andreessen Horowitz and Kleiner Perkins.
His latest business is an eponymous active and casualwear apparel brand that released its first collection 12 months ago. The Brady Brand signed name, image and likeness deals for the apparel line with several college athletes. As of Jan. 30, the Brady Brand is available for purchase at Dick's Sporting Goods.
(This story has been updated in the headline and throughout with details of Brady's career and earnings.)