Why Tom Brady Was the Best (And Also the Worst)

One year ago, on Feb. 1, 2022, Tom Brady announced his retirement. On Wednesday, he announced his retirement again. To keep things simple, we took last year’s article and made a few small edits. Here is the article from a year ago, with some deletions and insertions.

Brady’s year of unretirement was a spectacular failure on the field and off, but now the NFL’s GOAT can officially walk away from his football career knowing the time was right.

Throughout his legendary career, Tom Brady gave all of himself to football. There was a price.

If Brady had his way, he would have been running — and potentially quarterbacking — a Patriots division rival. Instead, a series of unforeseen events led him back to Tampa.

With legendary quarterback Tom Brady officially retiring (yes, we really mean it now), the accolades are pouring in.

“In the end, there is always Brady, smiling that idiot smile of his while a soft monsoon of confetti envelops him. He’s been doing this for so long that I can barely grasp it.”

It’s finally official: Tom Brady will not be forever a Patriot. But in reality, the quarterback's split with New England can be traced back much further than this offseason.

The Gwyneth Paltrow of the NFL must be stopped.

The Patriots legend thinks he can play until he’s 45 without sacrificing body, mind or integrity. But his future is not just in his hands.

And he doesn’t plan on trying one now.

A season in the charmed, cutthroat life of the N.F.L.’s most enigmatic quarterback.

John Hughes has been laughing about the possibility for a decade. He was the man tasked with ruining it all: Tom Brady’s football career, the Patriots’ future dynasty and, really, the entire American sports landscape.

Webster’s defines a rivalry as “competition for the same objective or for superiority in the same field.” That means Tom Brady and Peyton Manning have a rivalry. A phenomenal one, actually. And yet, it doesn’t feel like one.

Admit it—for a while there, you thought Tom Brady was done. He blew out his knee, got all soft and mushy and married Gisele, couldn't hit Randy Moss to save his ass. But as the Tennessee Titans secondary can testify, Captain America doesn't go down that easy.

The Super Bowl rings are nice, but his greatest achievement grows out of a generosity of spirit that makes him a leader in the toughest times.