ATLANTA — Tom Brady was a system quarterback. He’s also the greatest quarterback of all time. That’s only a contradiction if you consider “system quarterback” to be an insult. I don’t see it that way with Brady because he is the system. Brady is a machine that seemingly will never, ever stop operating at peak efficiency.
The machine finally shut down Tuesday. That’s only because Brady turned off the switch himself. He has plenty left. What Brady no longer has is the desire to continue with what he calls the “all-in proposition” of playing championship-level football.
That’s why Brady, 44, said he’s retiring after 22 seasons in the NFL, 20 of them with the Patriots. He posted the announcement to his Instagram account:
