There’s no secret Tom Brady is one of the most competitive athletes to ever play American professional sports. It’s also very well known that he’s 44. On February 1st, 2022, Tom Brady announced he was stepping away from the NFL, retiring after a legendary 22 year career. However, the ageless wonder couldn’t stay away and on March 13 – not even 45 days – Brady announced he was coming back.
Although he voiced/posted his goodbyes, many were still skeptical that he would stay retired. For one, the news reporting of it was contradicting over several days. Second, his ‘goodbye’ seemingly didn’t hit with the finality that most retirement announcements do. And third, he’s Tom Brady. The seven-time Super Bowl champ would’ve went out on a loss. If he retired after previous season, which ended with him hoisting the Lombardi Trophy after the Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeated the Kansas City Chiefs 31-9 in Super Bowl LV, he could’ve ridden off into the sunset as a Super Bowl champ like John Elway.
The competitive nature of Brady wouldn’t let that happen. It also could be that this man has been in the league since 2000 and isn’t ready to hang up the cleats, giving way to a normal life retired athletes live. Becoming an analyst? Acting? Those types of careers probably aren’t on Brady’s list at the moment. He feels he still can sling the pigskin all around the football field. Judging by his 2021 stats (5,316 yards, 43 TDs, 102.1 RTG), he should feel that way.
But with any athlete, age will eventually make it difficult to perform at a high level. He’s more than 20 years older than some of the guys on his team and many around the league. These young athletes are stronger and faster, wanting to make names for themselves like he did in the early 2000s. Brady isn’t getting any younger. He came back to win even against the risks of injury and/or failure. Father Time always wins no matter how sensational the athlete is. Brady is going to try and defy him yet again in hopes of glory one last time. At his age, we hope he will play like the champion he is and more importantly, leave on his own terms.