The Blue & White

by Brianna Trachtenberg

      After 22 years, Tom Brady officially announced his retirement from the NFL on Tuesday, February 1.

Until he didn’t. 

     Not long after, Brady reversed his decisions and decided that he no longer wanted to focus on “other things.” On March 13th, he decided that 40 days was enough time to do what he needed to do outside of football. Many fans and players were shocked, but happy to see Brady come back so soon. The question becomes: is he going to be able to play to the same level as before?

Brady has so far had a very impressive career as an NFL quarterback. He has been able to make it to the age of 44 and still play at the top of his game. Tom Brady ranks first all-time in completions, passing yards, passing touchdowns, game-winning drives, fourth quarter comebacks, and Super Bowl wins. As he continues to play, Brady will be able to continue to widen the gap and keep future quarterbacks from breaking his records. 

Brady is re-entering the NFL with seven Super Bowl rings, five Super Bowl MVP awards, three league MVP awards, six All-Pro selections, and many other impressive stats. Throughout his 22 years, he has easily been able to become one of the greatest NFL players of all time. Brady will continue to be an essential part of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ offense and will hopefully help them maintain the success of the past two years with Brady as their quarterback.

      While most people would now agree that Brady is one of the greatest players of all time, many did not think that at the beginning of his pro career. Brady was drafted by the New England Patriots in the sixth round with pick 199. This wasn’t a setback for him, though. Brady took this as motivation and told the Patriots owner Robert Kraft that he would be “the best decision this organization has ever made.” He has kept to this promise throughout his career, and has brought great success for both teams he’s played on so far. 

There will be one major change to the team this upcoming season. Bruce Arians will no longer be on the field as the head coach of the Buccaneers, but will be working up in the front office. Instead, Todd Bowles will be stepping up and become the head coach for the Buccaneers. This will only be the third head coach Brady has played for in his NFL career. Many are wondering if Brady and Bowles will be able to work as well together and have similar success as Bruce Arians previously did with Tom Brady. 

The Buccaneers season will definitely be an interesting one to watch. The one thing to learn from Tom Brady’s short retirement is that the sports world can change quickly. Each change this team makes during the offseason will determine how well they do in the fall. All eyes will be on Brady, Bowles, and the Bucs as they make their next moves during this upcoming season.