Tom Brady seems to be going sunset after 22 years in the NFL.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter and Jeff Darlington reported Saturday afternoon that Brady had decided to retire after his second season in Tampa Bay, ending a Hall of Fame career in the first round.

Since the initial report, however, others have come out to report that the decision has yet to be finalized. His agent, Don Yee, told ESPN and other outlets that while he wouldn’t speak to the veracity of the report, only Brady would share news of his plans with complete accuracy.

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Sporting News is following the latest reports of Brady’s potential retirement.

Is Tom Brady retiring?

5:28 p.m.: Despite several reports emerging questioning whether Brady has made up his mind to retire, ESPN said he stood by his report, according to Kevin Draper of The New York Times.

5:18 p.m.: NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport said he believed Brady’s plan was still to retire, but the issue with his previous status report was more about timing.

“Brady is very responsible, in control of his brand,” Rapoport said. “He usually has incredibly well-produced ads. He’s been producing a show on ESPN+ about his entire career that hasn’t filmed the final episode yet. I wonder what’s going to be in that episode, it’ll be interesting as well But that’s not all but I understand the plan is actually for Tom Brady to retire.”

4:51 p.m.: Brady Sr. is now telling NFL Network’s Mike Giardi that his son hasn’t made up his mind and anyone who says otherwise is “absolutely wrong.”

4:41 p.m.: ESPN Buccaneers reporter Jenna Laine reported that Arians said Brady was “not even close” to making a decision on his retirement. Athletic’s Jeff Howe also reported that Brady called the team on Saturday afternoon to say he wasn’t ready to decide his future.

4:21 p.m.: KRON4’s Kylen Mills reported that the quarterback’s father, Tom Brady Sr., told the Bay Area-based news station that Brady was not, in fact, retiring. Brady Sr. reportedly said an online publication started circulating the rumors, and now NFL insiders have started picking them up.

4:00 p.m.: Michael Silver reported that Brady spoke with Tampa Bay general manager Jason Licht to say he hasn’t decided whether to retire. Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times later confirmed Silver’s report that the call between QB and GM had taken place.

3:40 p.m.: According to Boston’s Tom Curran of NBC Sports, Brady is currently overseas and while he decides to retire, the decision has not been finalized.

3:39 p.m.: MMQB’s Albert Breer reported that Buccaneers coach Bruce Arians said he hadn’t heard of Brady’s decision to retire, and said others have said they don’t. did not know that the news of this decision was coming.

3:30 p.m.: Brady’s agent, Don Yee, released a statement to Schefter which neither confirmed nor denied the report that he is retiring, but said Brady “will be the only person to articulate his plans with complete accuracy. “.

“He knows the realities of the football industry and the planning calendar as well as anyone, so it should be soon,” Yee said in the statement.

2:30 p.m.: According to ESPN, Brady’s career is over.

Brady made his decision based on his family and his health, according to ESPN’s report, while taking into account that the Buccaneers are likely to have a roster turnover in 2022. ESPN’s article noted that Brady did not want a “farewell season”, with several close to him. saying he didn’t want a lot of drama before the decision.

During the final weeks of the 2021 campaign, rumors swirled that Brady was playing his final season in the NFL, with ESPN reporting that the Buccaneers had prepared for life after Brady. In Darlington and Schefter’s report, Tampa Bay reportedly hoped to make a move to keep Brady on board for one more season.

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What did Tom Brady say about his decision to retire?

Although Brady has yet to publicly comment on his decision to retire, he previously said his family would play a bigger role in determining his future in the NFL, saying that after his team’s loss to the Rams in the NFC Divisional Round, he felt like he could leave the game “proud and satisfied.”

“Playing football, I feel so much joy and I love it. But not playing football, there is also a lot of joy for that with me, now,” Brady said on his “Let’s Go!” podcast with Larry Fitzgerald and Jim Gray. “As I get older, the best part is that football is hugely important in my life, and it means a lot to me. And I care a lot about what we’re trying to achieve as a team, and I care a lot a lot about my teammates. .

“The difference now that I’m older is that I also have children now, and I care about them too.”

On the podcast, Brady said winning games doesn’t feel as good as it used to, and said winning feels more like relief while losses sting even more.

“I’m proud and happy with everything we’ve accomplished this year,” Brady said. “I know when I give it my all, it’s something I can be proud of. And I literally gave it my all this year, last year and the year before that. I don’t leave nothing halfway.”

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A look back at Tom Brady’s NFL career

Brady began his professional career as the ultimate underdog after being drafted in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft. He sat behind Drew Bledsoe in his first season in New England before taking over as as a starter in 2001. He led the Patriots to a Super Bowl victory that year against the Rams, and he never looked back as the team’s starter.

He went on to win back-to-back Super Bowls in 2003 and 2004, and he won his first NFL MVP award in 2007, when he led the Patriots to an undefeated regular season and a Super Bowl berth. That year, he threw for 4,806 yards with a career-high 50 touchdowns.

Brady won his second MVP in 2010 and his third in 2017. In 2016, he led the Patriots to an unlikely Super Bowl comeback, going from 28-3 in the third quarter to a 34-28 overtime win over the Falcons. . Brady reached two more Super Bowls with the Patriots after that win, losing to the Eagles before defeating the Rams to claim his final New England ring.

After the 2019 season, Brady left the Patriots to join the Buccaneers, winning a Super Bowl in his freshman year at Tampa Bay and taking his NFL record to seven Super Bowl rings. Although the Buccaneers didn’t win back-to-back titles in 2021, he still finished with a career-high 5,316 passing yards and led the league in both passing yardage and touchdowns. pass (43) at the age of 44.