NFL Players React to News That Brady Plans to Retire. originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
The sports world caught on fire Saturday morning with word that Tom Brady planned to retire after 22 seasons in the league.
Brady, largely considered the greatest football player of all time, won seven Super Bowl rings and five MVP nods, most recently winning both this past season at the age of 43. While he was still arguably playing at the top of his game, rumors had been circulating for some time that this decision might be on the horizon.
In the hours after Adam Schefter and Jeff Darlington, both of ESPN, broke the news, the Brady camp pushed back on the report. For two days there was speculation, before Brady officially announced his retirement Tuesday morning in an Instagram post.
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"This is difficult for me to write, but here it goes: I am not going to make the competitive commitment anymore. I have loved my NFL career, and now it is time to focus my time and energy on other things that require my attention," said Brady.
But the back-and-forth didn't stop Twitter. Once the wheels got rolling on that story over the weekend, current and former players around the league were immediately sharing their reaction to the news and appreciation for Brady’s storied career.
The NFL world was quick to offer their congratulations, wishing Brady luck in retirement Saturday.
And several Bucs’ teammates expressed gratitude for the opportunity to play with Brady.
Other NFL players commented on Brady's retirement via Twitter as well. Rams cornerback Jalen Ramsey posted a funny comment about his last encounter with Brady on the field.
Additionally, Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan showed his support for Brady's career.
While others around the league jokingly expressed gratitude for the fact that the NFL will no longer be dominated by Brady.
Former NFL quarterback and current ESPN analyst Robert Griffin III wasted no time calling Hall of Fame voters to get Brady his gold jacket.
Cardinals’ defensive end J.J. Watt made it clear Brady was a once-in-a-lifetime talent.
Meanwhile, analyst and former player Brady Quinn doubled down on how special of a player Brady was, and then invited Twitter to prove him wrong down the road.
Analyst Adam Schefter tweeted a congratulatory note from former NFL legend Peyton Manning to his friend Brady.
General manager of the Denver Broncos and former quarterback John Elway also tweeted in support of Brady. "When I think about Tom Brady, he's a true winner who handled himself with class throughout his entire career," Elway said in a tweet Tuesday morning.
Almost immediately, Twitter started speculating about another potential retirement -- Rob Gronkowski.
Gronk, who is 12 years Brady’s junior, has spent all eleven years with the same quarterback. A month after Brady announced his departure for Tampa Bay, the Bucs made a trade for Gronk, reportedly at the insistence of Brady.
The tight end retired once before, taking the season off before joining the Bucs, citing a need to focus on his mental health.
