Michael Lavery comments on the huge news from Sunday!
Just when we thought it was all over, when we had started to envision life in the National Football League without Tom Brady, he shocked us all late on Sunday night with a tweet that will go down in NFL legend.
The seven-time Super Bowl champion was clearly not happy with how his already illustrious career was due to end and, after some time off has decided to grace the gridiron for another season. Brady’s tweet included pictures of both his offensive line and his family, perhaps acknowledging the sacrifice he is making to get back on the field once again.
This is huge news for the NFL. Not only do they get to keep their superstar of the past two decades, but with trades and contracts shifting the landscape over the early stages of the NFL off-season, next seasons line-ups are already mouth watering. Aaron Rodgers has extended his contract at Green Bay, Russell Wilson is now a Denver Bronco amidst a hectic AFC West and now the oldest player in the league makes his shocking return. The marketability and promotional value of having Brady in the league cannot be understated.
Even more so now that the Buccaneers are scheduled to play internationally in Germany this coming season. Perhaps the prospect of a few steins and frankfurters were too much for Brady to pass up on!
It has been well stated many times before that Brady’s career could be divided into two separate Hall of Fame careers. He “retired” with 84,520 passing yards to his name, alongside 624 touchdowns and a career completion percentage of 64.18%
His “Final TD Ball” sold for an eye-watering $518,000. The owner of which must now feel sick to their core knowing it will forever be just a random game ball.
Many will ponder over the coming months as to why Brady made this decision. Was his retirement a rash decision on the back of a tough playoff loss? Or was this always part of the plan – see how the league unfolds without him for a couple of months before shocking us all and returning?
But while many thought the torch had been passed from one generation to another, Tom Brady continues to prove that he is the light that will always shine brightest in the NFL.
Michael Lavery