G.O.A.T- Greatest of All Time. This word will be linked with 44-year-old Tom Brady until the end of time. Tom Brady announced his retirement of 22 years on February 1st. He finished his career with seven Super Bowl rings, five Super Bowl MVPs, and three regular season MVPs. The list could go on and on about how many accolades he has received in his lustrous career.

Brady has meant a lot to the sport of football. What Brady has done the past two years have changed the way teams view the quarterback position. The National Football League (NFL) has always been a copycat league, so once they saw the success the Buccaneers had by upgrading the quarterback position, others followed. Two teams that followed this concept are the Los Angeles Rams and Indianapolis Colts. Currently, the Rams are competing in this year’s Super Bowl. 

“It is sad to see him go but also it is a relief. He has been dominating for a while. I’d rather watch different teams playing in the Super Bowl,” junior Alex Figueroa said. 

Brady has participated in 10 Super Bowls in the last 22 years. This has never been done before.

“The moment I will remember the most is when he came back after being down 28-3 in the Super Bowl,” Figueroa said. This would be the largest comeback in a Super Bowl. This championship made him the player with the most rings in the history of the sport. 

Even with these accomplishments, there are many other things that factor into a football player’s mind when it comes to retirement. 

“I know that his wife has been wanting him to retire for a while. I think she has finally convinced him this time,” junior Spencer Shuler said. “He does not have much to gain from winning another Super Bowl.”

With him having the G.O.A.T status the only thing he can achieve is another major injury. “Football is a dangerous sport so I think that it is smart for him to get out before he injures himself more,” Shuler said.  

A lot of quarterbacks will play until they can’t anymore. We saw this with Peyton Manning, who was fighting to keep his job in his last season. Or more recently, Drew Brees. People began to become concerned when he struggled to throw a ball over 30 yards.

“I thought he could play for another two years. He just led the NFL in touchdowns this year,” senior Nolan Howard said. Brady was still playing his best ball at 44-years-old. “At least he won’t be struggling to finish his last season. His last season will be remembered as one of his best seasons,” Howard said. 

With every off-season many players leave their original teams to seek better pay or a better chance at winning the Super Bowl. This is no different for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Buccaneers have about ten players who can test out free agency. Key players like Chris Godwin and Ryan Jensen are needed if the Buccaneers want to go for another big run in the playoffs.