7-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady discloses thoughts about early retirement.

Tom Brady Patriots (Image via Imago)

The NFL fans should count themselves lucky that Tom Brady decided not to quit after the 2008 Super Bowl XLII loss against the New York Giants. Instead, it lit a fire under the New England Patriots quarterback, who wanted to relive the memory of hoisting another Lombardy Trophy.

In a recently published book, ‘Religion of Sports: Navigating the Trials of Life Through the Games We Love’ by Gotham Chopra and Joe Levin, an exclusive interview with Brady was revealed in 2019 after the Super Bowl LIII win over the Los Angeles Rams. It revealed that he would have retired early if the Patriots had beaten the Giants in 2008.

Had we won that game! I don't know. I'm not a big hypothetical guy, but maybe the desire is a little bit different. Maybe I would've been fulfilled not to stop playing at that time, but I don't know. Maybe I'd play another seven or eight years, and I'd be fulfilled.

Brady said, as per Chopra.
The Patriots were the favorites to beat Eli Manning‘s Giants, as they hadn’t lost a single game that season. Unfortunately, Manning rallied the Blue Half of New York to a 17-14 victory to clinch their third ring and first since 1991.

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Tom Brady’s career since losing Super Bowl XLII

It’s shivering to even think about what the NFL would look like if Tom Brady had decided to retire after playing just seven years of football. Maybe the loss against the Giants was a blessing in disguise. Definitely for the Patriots fans.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady (Image via Sky Sports)
He had already achieved so much in such a short span that many players don’t manage in their entire careers. The sixth-round pick had already won three SBs with the Pats, and that would have been his fourth. Brady would have gone equal with his idol Joe Montana in winning every Super Bowl he had appeared in.

His next appearance in the final came in 2011 against the same Manning’s Giants, and the outcome was the same too. The hunt for the fourth continued, and he finally managed to win on the 10th anniversary of his third ring. Two more followed with the Boston franchise, until he shocked the world by moving to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In 2021, Tom Brady won his seventh Super Bowl, beating the Kansas City Chiefs.

Following his retirement in February 2023, the 46-year-old created a legacy that will remain part of football well into the future. He is the quarterback with the highest number of regular-season wins (251). The next best is Brett Favre, with 188. Brady also holds the records for most career passing attempts (12,050), most career completions (7753), most career passing touchdowns (649), and most career passing yards (88,214).