Tom Brady was always going to leave on his own terms.
“When I suck, I’ll retire,” Brady said in 2014. But of all his achievements, the timing of Brady’s announcement that he will step away from the game after 22 seasons may be the most remarkable of all. He is not walking away because injuries sapped his greatness or because his play has declined as he approaches 45. Brady is coming off two seasons in Tampa in which he was still one of the best players in the NFL and clinched his seventh Super Bowl in his 10th appearance. He still moves as well as he ever. Remarkably, there is more zip on his fastball now than there was six years ago.
