Tom Brady Files NFL, NFLPA Resignation Letter

TAMPA, Fla. — Former New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady filed filings with the NFL and NFL Players Association on Friday to confirm his Feb. 1 retirement, sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

The letter – which begins processing NFLPA benefits – silences all questions about a possible return and makes him eligible for the Pro Football Hall of Fame class of 2028.

Last offseason, Brady retired for 40 days before announcing his return for a third and final season with the Buccaneers. Brady said after his first retirement that his next would be forever, and he has expressed a desire to move on to new things after 23 seasons in the NFL with seven Super Bowl titles.

Brady recently announced that he will assume his role as an analyst at Fox Sports in 2024.

The fact that the move came on Friday means the Bucs will shoulder the brunt of his $35 million salary cap death toll in 2023, rather than splitting it between 2023 and 2024 when they change the contestable years on his contract and then would have waited until after June 1st to process retirement.

The Bucs are expected to be nearly $60 million over the salary cap when they go freelance starting March 15, according to Roster Management System. Kyle Trask is currently the only signed Bucs quarterback.