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Way back in 2014, Tom Brady shared his idea of when he thought he should retire.
This week, he addressed that quote after it was brought up to him on his podcast by co-host Jim Gray.
“You said you’d leave when you suck,” Gray reminded Brady, “but you don’t suck.”
This is true. At the ages of 44 and 45, Tom Brady set the record for most pass attempts and most completions, then proceeded to break both of those records the next year. He also threw for a career high 5,316 yards in 2021.
“I did say that. And I meant it at the time,” Brady responded. “That was so long ago. I missed a few things in the meantime and certainly just have loved every experience that I’ve had doing it and doesn’t always go right, and I always tell this to my kids a lot, you know, it’s not about whether you win or lose, it’s about the process of trying to get the most out of yourself. And if you feel like you’ve done it then there’s a lot to be gained from it. And if you feel like you cheated that, then you feel like you’ve cheated yourself.
“And I think I’ve always wanted to maximize my ability as a player and now I get to maximize my ability in life as a person and as a human and as a man and as a father and as a son and as a brother and as a friend and as a teammate to different things going forward. So there’s a lot of things to be excited about.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9cCdV_ov9A&t=3m29s
Let’s see… in 2014, Tom Brady went 373 for 582 passing (64.1%) with 4,109 yards, 33 touchdowns and 9 interceptions with a passer rating of 97.4.
Last year, he went 490 for 733 (66.8%0 with 4,694 yards with 25 touchdowns and 9 interceptions with a passer rating of 90.7 – the eighth worst of his 23 year NFL career.
If you go by ESPN’s total quarterback rating, in 2022 Tom Brady scored 52.5. That, by quite a bit, is the lowest rating he has had since they started keeping the statistic in 2006.
Did he suck? No. Was it the right time for him to retire? Debatable, but, yeah, probably, but who would have thought in 2014 that he would play another NINE years?
Then again, who says he won’t come back and play again next season?