Tom Brady retiring after 22 NFL seasons, 7 Super Bowl titles with Patriots, Buccaneers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady will announce his retirement after 22 seasons, a person with knowledge of the situation told USA TODAY Sports’ Mike Jones.

The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about announcement.

The decision comes less than a week after the Buccaneers were eliminated in the divisional playoff round by the Los Angeles Rams.

Brady, 44, said after the game that he hadn’t made a decision on retiring and would talk to his family concerning any decision.

“I haven’t put a lot of thought into it,” Brady said. “So, you know, we will just take it day by day and kind of see where we are at.”

This season, Brady, a three-time NFL MVP, set a career high with 5,316 passing yards and led the league with 43 touchdown passes.

Brady hangs up his cleats as the NFL’s greatest champion; winning six Super Bowl titles in 20 years with the New England Patriots and another last season with the Buccaneers. He left New England after the 2019 season in one of the most stunning free agency moves in NFL history, splitting with longtime coach Bill Belichick.

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Brady ends his career holding NFL records for the most career touchdown passes, passing yards (84,520) and completions (7,263) of any player in history, and his 15 career Pro Bowl nods and five Super Bowl MVP awards stand as all-time bests. His ultimate legacy, however, is likely his winning record, with his seven Super Bowl titles, 243 regular-season wins, 35 postseason wins all unparalleled.

A sixth-round pick in the 2000 draft by the Patriots, Brady waited his turn on the bench until he got an opportunity the next season when starter Drew Bledsoe was knocked out by New York Jets linebacker Mo Lewis. Brady took over and led the Patriots to an upset win in Super Bowl 36 over the St. Louis Rams.

Brady added to his Super Bowl haul…