Before Tom Brady‘s now-iconic number 12 was retired by the New England Patriots during the team’s home opener, he took a special snap with his three kids.

Brady, 46, widely considered the greatest NFL quarterback of all time, returned to Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts on Sunday, where he lead the Patriots to six NFL championships.

Before the halftime ceremony, where his number 12 was retired – and owner Robert Kraft announced he would be an early inductee into the New England Patriots Hall of Fame next summer – Brady shared a snap atop Gillette Stadium with his three kids.

Brady posed with his 16-year-old son Jack – who he shares with ex Bridget Moynihan – and 13-year-old Benjamin and 10-year-old Vivian – who he shares with Gisele Bundchen, who he split with in October after 13 years of marriage.

Brady and his kids posed near the brand new lighthouse bell atop the stadium, which he rang before the game, ushering in a new pre-game tradition.

Special snap: Before Tom Brady ‘s now-iconic number 12 was retired by the New England Patriots during the team’s home opener, he took a special snap with his three kids

Tom’s return: Brady, 46, widely considered the greatest NFL quarterback of all time, returned to Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts on Sunday, where he lead the Patriots to six NFL championships

Both Tom and Benjamin were wearing Patriots windbreaker hoodies to combat the rainy elements that day, with Tom completing his look with a white t-shirt, black pants and white sneakers.

Brady also shared a snap of him and his kids all down on the field for the halftime ceremony, all of them donning matching #12 Patriots jerseys.

He also shared a snap of him running onto the field, and another of the six NFL championships he won during his 20-year stint with the Patriots.

The legendary quarterback also said in the caption of his post – like he did during the halftime ceremony – that he will consider himself a ‘Patriot forever,’ despite spending his last three years with the Tampa Bay Buccanneers, where he won another championship.

‘I’ve talked a lot about how lucky I feel to have spent my life surrounded by such incredible people. Yesterday was just another reminder of that,’ Brady began.

‘Coming back to New England to celebrate what WE accomplished was so special, and it’s a day that I’ll never forget,’ he added.

‘Being able to spend time with teammates, family, friends, coaches, and most importantly all the fans of Patriot nation is something that I’ll never take for granted,’ he added.

Brady concluded, ‘We won a whole lot of games up here… and believe it or not we had a whole lot of fun doing it. I’m so lucky to have been a New England Patriot. Foxboro Forever.’

Jerseys: Brady also shared a snap of him and his kids all down on the field for the halftime ceremony, all of them donning matching #12 Patriots jerseys

Championships: He also shared a snap of him running onto the field, and another of the six NFL championships he won during his 20-year stint with the Patriots

Forever: Brady concluded, ‘We won a whole lot of games up here… and believe it or not we had a whole lot of fun doing it. I’m so lucky to have been a New England Patriot. Foxboro Forever’

Tom Brady plays football catch with daughter Vivian in the pool

Brady was drafted in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft by the Patriots out of the University of Michigan, not considered a top prospect by any means after a lackluster performance at the annual NFL Combine.

He started his rookie season in 2000 as the fourth quarterback on the depth chart, but quickly rose to become starting quarterback Drew Bledsoe’s backup.

While Bledsoe started the 2001 season as the starter, he suffered internal bleeding in the second game of the season, with Brady elevated to starting quarterback, the beginning of an incredible NFL career.

He lead the Patriots to their first Super Bowl win that season – just months after the 9/11 terrorist attacks – and he would go on to win back-to-back titles in 2004 and 2005, and three more titles in 2015, 2017 and 2019, before shifting to Tampa for his final three seasons, leading the Buccaneers to their first Super Bowl title in nearly 20 years.

He retired for good after the 2022 season as the all-time leader in many categories including wins (251), passing yards (89,214) and touchdowns (649) to name a few.