Tom Brady retires from the NFL, 1 year after retiring from the NFL

It's not quite Groundhog Day — but yes, you've heard all this before. Quarterback Tom Brady is retiring from the NFL — for real this time, he said in a video posted to social media on Wednesday morning.

Brady, 45, released the message on Feb. 1, the same date he announced his retirement from the NFL in 2022.

"I'm retiring. For good," Brady said in his new farewell message. He thanked his fans — and acknowledged the uproar over earlier announcements regarding his plans.

"I won't be long-winded," Brady said. "You only get one super-emotional retirement essay, and I used mine up last year."

Addressing his family, friends, teammates and competitors, Brady added, "Thank you guys for allowing me to live my absolute dream. I wouldn't change a thing."

In a superlative 23-year career with the New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Brady racked up a raft of elite records. He owns the most Super Bowl wins (7), as well as most passing touchdowns (649) and passing yards (89,214).

Last year's retirement essentially amounted to Brady giving up pro football for Lent, as he un-retired himself after 40 days. But Brady's latest announcement comes after a regular season in which his Buccaneers finished with an 8-9 record. Tampa Bay still won the NFC South division, but the team was summarily dismissed by the Dallas Cowboys in the wild card round.

If Brady was looking for signs that the game might finally be passing him by, he surely noticed that in this year's playoffs, the four quarterbacks who led their teams to the NFL's conference championships are all in their 20s: Kansas City's Patrick Mahomes (27); Cincinnati's Joe Burrow (26); Philadelphia's Jalen Hurts (24) and San Francisco's Brock Purdy (23).

Brady took his winning ways with him when he left New England for Tampa Bay after 20 seasons, bringing home a Super Bowl title in his first year with the Buccaneers. Last season, Tampa Bay notched an impressive regular-season record but was pipped by the Los Angeles Rams on a late field goal, on the Rams' way to the title.

Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.