Last offseason wasn’t the first time Tom Brady considered retirement.
In fact, according to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback, he thought about walking away from the NFL nearly two decades ago.
“When I was 27, I almost retired from the game of football because of elbow pain,” Brady said in a video posted this week by the official TB12 Sports Twitter account. ” … Now, I’m 45 years old, and I’m still here.”
To be clear, we’re talking about a promotional video, with Brady using his own experience to motivate athletes and, ultimately, sell his product. So, grab a grain of salt. But it’s still a rather jarring admission given all that Brady has accomplished since age 27.
Brady turned 27 before the 2004 season, his fourth as starting QB of the New England Patriots. At that point, he was coming off his second Super Bowl title and a third-place finish in NFL MVP voting. It’s amazing to think the journey could have ended there, as Brady since has added five more championship rings to his collection — including one for that ’04 campaign — while solidifying himself as the most decorated player of all time.
Brady now is in his 23rd season — his third with Tampa Bay after 20 years with New England — and still is playing at a relatively high level despite some recent hiccups from the Bucs. Players don’t last that long without a few bumps and bruises, but who knew Brady was pushed to the brink so early in his career. Him retiring at such a young age obviously would have changed the course of history.
