The Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback, 44, won seven Super Bowls in an astonishing career spanning 22 seasons. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback, 44, won seven Super Bowls in an astonishing career spanning 22 seasons.
Brady won six titles with the New England Patriots before his final triumph with the Buccaneers last year.
The five-time Super Bowl Most Valuable Player is retiring after deciding he could no longer make the "competitive commitment" to continue.
His final game in the NFL was a 30-27 defeat by the Los Angeles Rams in the play-offs, when his heroics narrowly failed to pull off a sensational comeback from 27-3 down.
Brady, a three-time NFL season MVP, had a year remaining on his contract with the BUC.
In a statement posted on social media, he said: "I have always believed the sport of football is an 'all-in' proposition - if a 100% competitive commitment isn't there, you won't succeed, and success is what I love so much about our game.
"My playing career has been such a thrilling ride, and far beyond my imagination, and full of ups and downs. When you're in it every day, you really don't think about any kind of ending.
"As I sit here now, however, I think of all the great players and coaches I was privileged to play with and against - the competition was fierce and deep, just how we like it.
"But the friendships and relationships are just as fierce and deep. I will remember and cherish these memories and revisit them often.
Brady played in 10 Super Bowls, including an incredible comeback from 28-3 down against the Atlanta Falcons in 2017, and had a perfect 16-0 regular season with the Patriots in 2007.
He won a Super Bowl in three different decades and retires after amassing a career-high 5,316 passing yards.
Brady also leads the all-time passing rankings, with 84,520 yards - more than 4,000 clear of his nearest rival, the retired Drew Brees.
His announcement on Tuesday comes after conflicting reports over the weekend about his future.
It was widely reported on Saturday evening that he had decided to retire, but his company TB12 Sports then deleted a tweet appearing to confirm the news.
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said Brady would be remembered "as one of the greatest to ever play in the NFL".
He added: "An incredible competitor and leader, his stellar career is remarkable for its longevity but also the sustained excellence he displayed year after year.
"Tom made everyone around him better and always seemed to rise to the occasion in the biggest moments."
Thomas Edward Patrick Brady Jr. (born August 3, 1977) is a former American football quarterback who played 22 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He spent his first 20 seasons with the New England Patriots, where he was a central contributor to the owner's dynasty from 2001 to 2019. For his last two seasons, he has been a member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Brady is widely regarded as the greatest quarterback of all time.
After playing college football in Michigan, Brady was ranked 199th overall by the Patriots in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft, later earning him the reputation of being the NFL's biggest draft thief. [2] [3] [4] He became an early quarterback during his second season, in which the Patriots won their first Super Bowl title at Super Bowl XVI. As the team's leading starter for 18 seasons, [a] Brady led the Patriots to 17 division titles (including 11 consecutive from 2009 to 2019), 13 AFC Championship games (including eight consecutive times from 2011 to 2018), nine Super Bowl appearances and six Super Bowls. Bowl titles, all NFL records for a player and owner. [b] He joined the Buccaneers in 2020 and led them to the Super Bowl LV win, extending his personal record to 10 Super Bowl appearances and seven wins.
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