The Ringer - Tom Brady Is Retiring From the NFL. Here’s What You Need to Know.2022-02-04T13:58:04-05:00http://www.theringer.com/rss/stream/226764042022-02-04T13:58:04-05:002022-02-04T13:58:04-05:00How Long Could Tom Brady Really Have Kept Playing?
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<p>Brady defied everything we know about human aging in his lengthy and legendary career. His decision to retire not only represents him leaving at the top of his game—it raises questions about just how long he could have thrived.</p> <p id="52Mp3k">Fans typically have one of two responses when a great athlete announces their career is over. Most of the time, we look back on a long and decorated career filled with memories and marvel, while acknowledging that their body had started to falter and that the time to walk away had come. But there are rare cases when an athlete retires at the top of their game, leaving us to wonder what might have been.</p>
<p id="UFw6z5">Tom Brady’s retirement this week somehow falls into both categories. Of course it feels as if the time had come for him to move on. Brady has been the face of the NFL for almost two decades, achieving more than any other quarterback in football history—and arguably more than any other athlete in team sports history, period. He leaves the league with seven Super Bowl wins, and he owns the records for virtually every major passing statistic, many of which should hold for decades. Having accomplished so much, Brady is ready for a life without football—and fans of pretty much every NFL team are ready for a life in which Brady isn’t playing football. We’ve been waiting a long time for our teams to win, dammit! </p>
<p id="O5ry5T">But despite having the longest, most successful career of any football player in history, Brady never dropped off. In his final season, he led the NFL in passing yards (5,316) and passing touchdowns (43). He won the Super Bowl last season; this season, he led his team to a 13-4 record and a playoff win. In his final outing, Brady rallied the Buccaneers from a 27-3 second-half deficit to briefly tie the team’s divisional-round matchup against the Rams, who ended up making the Super Bowl. Many quarterbacks’ arm strength falters as they grow older—but Brady’s final touchdown pass was a gorgeous 55-yard bomb to Mike Evans, a perfect, powerful strike reminiscent of the throws he made to Randy Moss on the Patriots 15 years earlier. </p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">BRADY TO EVANS FOR A 55 YARD TD. WOW.<br><br> : <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LARvsTB?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LARvsTB</a> on NBC<br> : <a href="https://t.co/6Hz1DjFj3t">https://t.co/6Hz1DjFj3t</a> <a href="https://t.co/MUMJ2EQYBH">pic.twitter.com/MUMJ2EQYBH</a></p>— NFL (@NFL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NFL/status/1485388150545559552?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 23, 2022</a>
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<p id="way0Qf">The past few years have brought a slew of retirements by quarterbacks who dominated the NFL’s modern era. In every prior case, the retirement followed a significant decline in the quarterback’s quality of play. Drew Brees could <a href="https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2020/9/24/21452616/drew-brees-arm-strength-new-orleans-saints">no longer throw deep</a> when he called it quits after 2020. Ben Roethlisberger <a href="https://twitter.com/theStevenRuiz/status/1442513009809764360">looked like a QB from a different era</a> this season before retiring in January; you could almost hear him emitting an exhausted grunt every time he wound up to throw a wobbly 6-yard pass on third-and-10. Peyton Manning may have gone out on top by retiring after the Broncos’ win in Super Bowl 50—but that Denver team was carried by its all-world defense, while Manning threw just nine touchdowns and 17 interceptions. The 2015 Broncos often seemed better off with <em>Brock Osweiler</em> on the field. </p>
<p id="bTg5RU">With Brady, though? He’s legitimately as good as he’s ever been. He’ll either finish first or second in 2021 MVP voting. The Buccaneers <em>were</em> Super Bowl contenders for 2022 with Brady; without him, they probably won’t be. Sportsbooks gave the Bucs the <a href="https://www.actionnetwork.com/nfl/2023-super-bowl-odds-chiefs-bills-patriots-bucs-packers-cowboys-rams-top-early-futures-field">fourth-best odds to win next season’s Super Bowl</a> before Brady’s retirement. Now, FanDuel lists them with what are tied for the <a href="https://sportsbook.fanduel.com/navigation/nfl?tab=2023-super-bowl">ninth-best odds</a>. Unless another six-time Super Bowl champion decides to switch teams in the offseason, Tampa Bay may have to try to win next fall with Kyle Trask or Blaine Gabbert. Players like Andrew Luck may have retired at younger ages, but Brady’s retirement in his mid-40s probably has a bigger impact on the competitive future of the league. </p>
<p id="MluLfg">Brady had <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tom-brady-says-hell-play-until-age-45-in-leaked-email-2015-8">said repeatedly over the years</a> that his goal was to <a href="https://www.patriots.com/news/tom-brady-says-he-wants-to-play-until-45-in-tom-vs-time">play until age 45</a>. That proclamation seemed impossible, considering that there are a total of 22 passing attempts in league history thrown by quarterbacks aged 45 or older—and all of them came from Hall of Famer George Blanda, who only threw those passes in the 1970s because he hung around on rosters as a kicker and occasionally came into games as a backup. </p>
<p id="N8Mv05">But Brady never wavered, defying the aging curve while appearing in a Facebook show called <em>Tom vs. Time</em> and releasing a book titled <em>The TB12 Method: How to Achieve a Lifetime of Sustained Peak Performance</em>. As it turned out, living a lifetime of sustained peak performance involved buying expensive products from the TB12 store, and the book <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2020/jul/17/tom-brady-tb12-snake-oil-junk-science">was widely derided as pseudoscience</a>. (Brady also <a href="https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/heres-why-tom-bradys-cookbook-costs-an-absurd-200/">sold a $200 cookbook</a>.) Eventually, Brady abandoned the idea that he would play until 45—and moved on to <a href="https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/tom-brady-had-a-surprising-answer-when-asked-about-the-possibility-of-playing-until-hes-50/">saying he could play until 50</a>, <a href="https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/tom-brady-says-he-could-literally-play-until-hes-55-years-old-thanks-to-his-conditioning/">or 55</a>. Sometimes, he sounded like a narcissist who believed his on-field success meant that he was exempt from the concept of human mortality; other times, he simply sounded like a salesman with a warehouse full of anti-aging products. </p>
<p id="8ssxwt">Brady did fall short of his lofty projections, retiring at age 44. (Ha! I knew he was lying!) But in doing so he proved that all of his claims about being able to play deep into his 40s were legitimate, rather than delusional ramblings or an attempt to push product. Though he accomplished everything possible for a football player, I have to wonder: How far could Brady have gone?</p>
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<p id="GvCFCf">Identifying Brady’s greatest trait as an athlete is hard. While some legends are known for possessing one iconic skill, Brady didn’t have a ridiculously strong arm or a stunning ability to power through defenders. I’m not actually sure Brady even knows how to sprint. His greatness came from qualities that are more difficult to define, like presnap anticipation, <a href="https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2022/2/1/22913083/tom-brady-quarterback-evolution-processing-retirement">processing ability</a>, and throwing accuracy. Oh, and the fact that his teams always won games. But as Brady continued thriving, something else emerged that separated his legend from anybody else’s: his ability to keep going. </p>
<p id="Gp1vHi">Brady’s late-career production is silly. He has 22,938 passing yards after turning 40; that alone would rank 92nd all time in NFL history. Brady has more passing yards after turning 40 than Roger Staubach did in his entire Hall of Fame career, and more passing touchdowns after turning 40 (168) than Troy Aikman did in his entire Hall of Fame career. Every other QB in NFL history has combined for just 38 passing touchdowns after turning 42; Brady has 107. Brady is actually second in receiving yards after 40, since he caught a pass in 2018—only he and Jerry Rice have post-40 receptions.</p>
<p id="eHh0EL">Brady’s longevity makes his records insurmountable, at least for the next couple of decades. Aaron Rodgers feels like the only long-tenured QB who could conceivably catch some of those marks, but he would need to throw for another 175 touchdowns and more than 29,000 yards to do so. The 38-year-old Rodgers would basically have to staple Luck’s entire NFL career (171 touchdowns, 23,671 yards) on top of his current career. If Rodgers doesn’t do it, we’ll have to wait about 15 years for anybody else (Patrick Mahomes? Josh Allen?) to get close. And winning seven Super Bowls feels downright impossible. </p>
<p id="vL2aeB">But part of me wonders: How far could this have gone? Brady certainly had the ability to play for another year—could he have played for three more? Could he have really been an effective NFL quarterback at age 50? With Brady, it feels like we had a legitimate chance to see the maximum amount of football success that a human being could have in one lifetime. What would that look like? How much could he have done? </p>
<p id="TImDus">We’re left without an answer here. Some aging quarterbacks drop off astoundingly quickly. It seemed like Manning was set to play well into his 40s when he set an NFL record by passing for 55 touchdowns at age 37; just two years later, he posted career lows in virtually every category except for interception rate, which rose to a career high. Other quarterbacks aged more gracefully. Even as Brees stopped throwing the ball deep, he was still capable of sustaining high completion rates and leading efficient offenses. We’ll never know how long it would’ve taken for Brady to physically drop off—or how he would’ve adjusted to newfound physical limitations. </p>
<p id="R9zenD">It feels probable that Brady could have continued to contend for Super Bowls for at least a few more years with these Buccaneers. He’d already passed virtually every significant quarterbacking milestone, but another three seasons could’ve seen him hit <em>100,000</em> career passing yards. It feels reasonable to expect that Brady could have thrived even if his throwing capabilities did lessen in his late 40s or early 50s—nobody was better at taking what a defense gave him, and Brady was the second-highest-rated QB on passes marked as “short” by Pro Football Focus in 2021. He may be retiring with a live arm, but it’s conceivable that he could have dinked and dunked his way to an eighth Super Bowl … or a ninth … or a 10th. </p>
<p id="ACnIh2">For the most part, I’m glad Brady is retiring. There were no more stories left to tell. He had already achieved every possible goal, and it’s well past time for other players to build their legacies. For the record, I am a fan of the New York Jets. Brady has haunted me enough for 10 lifetimes. If I never see him again, it’ll be too soon. </p>
<p id="dSrOcm">But if anybody was going to keep playing until he found the limit of what one football player could accomplish, it was Brady, who was compulsively driven to prove that he could just keep going. It’s strange to wonder what more we could have seen from him, considering that he played longer and did more than anybody else who previously played his position. Brady made it feel like he would try to achieve everything that was conceivably possible. In the end, he settled for simply achieving more than anybody else in football history ever has. </p>
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https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2022/2/4/22915010/tom-brady-retirement-aging-buccaneers-patriotsRodger Sherman2022-02-04T06:00:00-05:002022-02-04T06:00:00-05:00The Two Sides of Tom Brady
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<p>Brady perfectly embodied two archetypes of the modern athlete: a golden-boy football hero and a ruthless clinician, aware of every advantage available to him</p> <p id="Fs7k3K">I have seen Tom Brady get angry. I’ve seen him throw his helmet. I’ve seen him smash his clipboard. His receivers? I’ve seen him shout at them. I’ve seen him berate them. I’ve seen him sulk in their general direction. </p>
<p id="sNXSZZ">I’ve seen Brady express other emotions, too. I’ve seen him wearing a wide and slightly deranged-looking grin of joy. I’ve seen him cry, probably, though I can’t remember when. I’m sure I’ve seen him laugh. I’ve even seen Bill Belichick laugh, though never without thinking the sound had arrived with a tiny metal lunchbox and punched a tiny clock on the way out of his throat. Do your job, dry chuckle, or it’s the waiver wire for you. </p>
<p id="hDIrpr">I’ve been watching Tom Brady play football for more than two decades. Basically my whole adult life. I belonged to the first class at my college to be automatically assigned email addresses, and my first password, if you can believe this, was “bledsoe.” I’m not a Patriots fan or anything like that; I just loved watching Drew Bledsoe throw deep balls. Drew Bledsoe fans: We existed! We were a force! Astonishingly, I was never hacked.</p>
<p id="mm5pRI">I was there at the beginning of Brady’s career, 22 years ago, rooting against him on what seemed, at the time, like a searingly righteous Team Bledsoe platform. (I also thought Ryan Leaf would be a better NFL quarterback than Peyton Manning. Fortunately, I later learned everything there is to know about sports, and none of my predictions were ever wrong again.) I was there at the end of his career, three days ago, scrolling through dog pics on Instagram when the algorithm fed me his retirement announcement. For a second I was baffled: What sort of dog account would thank the Tampa Bay Buccaneers? Then I got it. This was no dog account. This was the greatest quarterback of all time hanging up his cleats. Dogs can’t wear cleats, and in any case, a dog would have thanked Bob Kraft. They’re very loyal animals.</p>
<div class="c-float-left"><aside id="MKpfsv"><div data-anthem-component="readmore" data-anthem-component-data='{"stories":[{"title":"Tom Brady Remade the NFL in His Image and Changed Football Forever","url":"https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2022/2/1/22912955/tom-brady-legacy-retirement"},{"title":"Brian Flores’s Lawsuit Has Brought the NFL’s Black Coaching Crisis to Its Boiling Point","url":"https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2022/2/2/22914443/brian-flores-lawsuit-black-coaching-crisis"},{"title":"The 2022 NFL Quarterback Commitment Index","url":"https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2022/2/3/22914367/2022-quarterback-commitment-index-aaron-rodgers-russell-wilson-tom-brady"}]}'></div></aside></div>
<p id="aXmnR7">Over 22 years, I must have seen Tom Brady experience the full range of human emotions: pride, anxiety, disappointment, triumph. When I picture him, though? I don’t see them. Most great athletes exist in my mind in a state of heightened being. I see Ali flexing over Sonny Liston, Novak Djokovic ripping off his shirt, Mo Salah punching the air. When I picture Brady, I see the opposite. I see the blank, cool, affectless calm that made him such a strange island of serenity in the frenzy of an NFL play. There was always, and especially later in his career, something heroically boring about Brady. Most iconic athletes make your heart beat faster; he makes your blood pressure drop. My mind can’t quite connect him with strong emotions because for 22 years he seemed to thrive by negating strong emotions, like a pair of Bose headphones tuned to block out fight-or-flight stimuli. </p>
<p id="789Yhp">The NFL is designed to annihilate calm, in both its players and its onlookers; like talk radio and pornography, it’s an engine whose function is arousal. Good quarterbacks are famously hard to come by because decision-making is integral to the job, and when your environment is screaming at you to flinch, panic, do something, hurry, good decisions become very hard to make. Cool-headedness, the skill of not being easily flustered, is a trait shared by all good pocket passers. But Brady took cool-headedness to the point where it sometimes became weird and even a little unsettling to watch. Look at most of his 51—almost 52!—fourth-quarter comebacks over the years. You get a sense of a player very slightly out of sync with everything else that’s happening on the field. It’s as if, the way some players are given a little more speed or a little more strength than other players, he’s been given a little more time. Not much more time. Maybe an extra tenth of a second on every play. But things move fast in the NFL. A tenth of a second is a lot.</p>
<p id="QfK2bw">Heroically boring—I truly don’t mean that as an insult. The power to tone down the havoc that follows every snap is the best attribute a quarterback can possess. Tone down the havoc enough—tame it—and you make it look kind of dull. That’s not to say Brady was dull to watch; he wasn’t. The drama just felt different. It was like, “Why isn’t that bear tearing you limb from limb?” “Because I’m gazing at it.” Almost everything Brady did off the field left me cold to some degree, right down to the way his woo-woo nutritional pseudoscience and friendship with Donald Trump foreshadowed the American right’s ongoing swerve into fantasy medicine. On the field, though … well, you don’t come across too many bear-hypnotists in your life as a fan. Watching Brady drop back to pass, study the coverage, swing back his arm—that moment of possibility felt subtly unlike anything else in sports. Everything was still moving; everything paused.</p>
<p id="naIFlA">I sometimes think it’s that same quality, that curiously intense absence of intensity, that’s made Brady an iconic figure in two seemingly incompatible ways. He’s an old-fashioned, all-American, golden-boy football hero and he’s a ruthless clinician for the analytics age. Every important American athlete of around Brady’s generation—LeBron James is the most obvious example—has to have a romantic, buzzer-beating, individual-glory-winning side and a more abstract, managerial, almost bureaucratic side. One side appeals to an older type of sports fandom, the type where you imagine standing in the shoes of the star player in the climactic moment and basking in applause after making the championship-winning play. The other side appeals to the more detached and procedural model of sports fandom that’s emerged in the wake of fantasy sports and draft guides and video-game management sims. You’re an idol but you’re also a mogul, an executive. Brady nailed both sides of the equation. </p>
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<p id="iGkZZ4">Well, mostly he did. Obviously, no one who spent 20 seasons playing under Belichick had the chance to be a true franchise architect in the LeBron mold. Few NFL players do. But as a matter of style, when it came to the things he made you think about and the modes of experience with which he seemed to chime, Brady fit in with both extremes. He was half prom king, half CEO. He was even more of a CEO, for that matter, than the more obviously corporate Peyton Manning, whose leadership had more of middle management about it. Peyton appreciated everyone coming to the meeting and wanted to make sure we all got on the same page. Peyton knew the keyboard shortcuts in PowerPoint; Brady had a private elevator to the 54th floor. Peyton and the nerds were on a first-name basis, but the nerds worked <em>for</em> Brady. His assistant summarized their reports. </p>
<p id="scTDaF">I don’t find myself having strong feelings about his retirement. I mean, I’m not sad about it. He’s 44. I had plenty of chances to watch him. Troy Aikman played in 159 total games, regular season and playoffs, in a Hall of Fame, 12-season NFL odyssey. Brady played in 330. He stayed in the league for an entire extra Aikman! He’s played in one less game than the Houston Texans <em>franchise</em>. Middle-aged athletes retire; time is cruel, but he had a lot of tenths of seconds. </p>
<p class="c-end-para" id="YhIhrq">However calm I feel about it, I’m sure he has strong feelings about his own retirement. I’m sure of it in the same way I’m sure he had strong feelings in every game he ever played—which is to say I know it notionally, without entirely believing it. It seems more apt to think of him leaving the game dispassionately, as coolly as he played it. It feels right to imagine him doing yet another thing most of us, in our own little collapsing pockets, can never quite manage to do—watching the future rush toward him and never batting an eye.</p>
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https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2022/2/4/22916790/tom-brady-dualityBrian Phillips2022-02-03T17:30:27-05:002022-02-03T17:30:27-05:00“One Trade Away” NBA Teams With Rob Mahoney, MLB Doldrums With Mike Schur
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<p>Plus, Bill’s dad offers a Boston sports update on the Celtics, Tom Brady’s retirement, and the Patriots’ future</p> <p id="iUzrqC"><a href="https://open.spotify.com/episode/0WEZxCGK0ddnbqvmnVxOG8?si=5478865351f64c80"><em>The Ringer</em>’s Bill Simmons is joined by Rob Mahoney to discuss teams who may be “one trade away”</a> from seriously improving their season, including the Grizzlies, Cavaliers, Celtics, Mavericks, 76ers, Hornets, and more (1:16). Then Bill talks with writer, producer, and loyal baseball fan Mike Schur about the Baseball Hall of Fame induction debates, the MLB lockout remaining unresolved as spring training approaches, Mike’s pitch on how former players mired in PED controversy can still make the Hall of Fame, and more (56:01). Finally, Bill is joined by his dad to discuss Boston sports, including the Celtics, Tom Brady’s retirement, the future of the Patriots, and more (1:26:54).</p>
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<p id="obqErP"><br>Host: Bill Simmons<br>Guests: Rob Mahoney, Mike Schur, Bill’s Dad<br>Producer: Kyle Crichton</p>
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<p id="G35Z8R"><strong>Subscribe:</strong> <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/07SjDmKb9iliEzpNcN2xGD?si=X1S_fYL7REi9NlCpheLw6g">Spotify</a> / <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-bill-simmons-podcast/id1043699613?mt=2">Apple Podcasts</a> / <a href="https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/the-ringer/the-bill-simmons-podcast">Stitcher</a> / <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/thebillsimmonspodcast">RSS</a></p>
https://www.theringer.com/the-bill-simmons-podcast/2022/2/3/22916743/one-trade-away-nba-teams-with-rob-mahoney-mlb-doldrums-with-mike-schurBill SimmonsRob Mahoney2022-02-03T06:30:00-05:002022-02-03T06:30:00-05:00The 2022 NFL Quarterback Commitment Index
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<p>Tom Brady has retired, Jimmy Garoppolo is feeling the heat, and Aaron Rodgers and Russell Wilson could be on the move next. Who is really committed to whom this offseason? And which teams and QBs are single and ready to mingle?</p> <p id="oGIKXm">This year’s Super Bowl features two happy couples. The Cincinnati Bengals recently married a modern-day Marlboro Man in Joe Burrow. And the Rams have committed to Matthew Stafford following a sordid and scandalous <a href="https://www.si.com/nfl/2021/02/01/matthew-stafford-sean-mcvay-celebrate-rams-trade-dinner-mexico">international affair</a>. These teams have been swept off their feet by their dashing beaus, and now they are just a few short steps away from eternal, immortalized bliss. </p>
<p id="URVuhC">Meanwhile, the other 30 NFL teams are staring in the mirror, evaluating all their imperfections. They’ll be watching this Super Bowl the same way people look at happy couples on their Instagram feed, fighting the gnawing sense that they are missing something—or someone. For no matter how good a football team is, it can’t be truly happy until it finds the right man under center. And this is the time of year when teams go looking for that special someone—just ask the Rams, who traded for Stafford on January 30, 2021. </p>
<p id="Gv3Fie">So with a new offseason quarterback carousel starting up, let us dive in and assess how committed teams and QBs <em>really</em> are to their current relationships. Who is single? Who is taken? And who might be the next iterations of Stafford and the Rams, ready to spurn their current partners to find their next ones? Let’s go through the NFL, from the dream couples to the single-and-ready-to-mingles. </p>
<p id="QmpiRE">[<em>Editor’s note: Given the open </em><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/03/sports/football/deshaun-watson-accusers-police-reports.html"><em>criminal</em></a><em>, </em><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/article/deshaun-watson-sexual-assault-lawsuit.html"><em>civil</em></a><em>, and NFL investigations into Deshaun Watson, we’ve excluded both Watson and the Texans from this list.</em>]</p>
<h3 id="mhFq5t"><strong>Relationship Goals</strong></h3>
<h4 id="CCn5as">Kansas City Chiefs and Patrick Mahomes<br>Buffalo Bills and Josh Allen<br>Cincinnati Bengals and Joe Burrow<br>Los Angeles Chargers and Justin Herbert<br>Los Angeles Rams and Matthew Stafford</h4>
<p id="NxlVRZ">It doesn’t take <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Spzm4ZSjzsM">a queen to deem Mahomes flawless</a>. He is the incomparable of the season. But Buffalo’s Josh Allen is not far behind. There were questions about Allen’s, uh, <em>processing</em> ability when he was drafted in 2018, but nobody ever had concerns about his physical build. And oh, how he <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9oOIA_ulBbY">puts that build to use</a>. </p>
<p id="IibtZ1">Mahomes and Allen just combined for one of the <a href="https://www.theringer.com/nfl-playoffs/2022/1/24/22898390/josh-allen-bills-chiefs-divisional-round-nfl-playoffs">greatest playoff</a> games in decades. And in the process, they likely gave every team looking for a new passer rather unrealistic expectations.</p>
<p id="hO2ydM">Burrow’s appeal isn’t so much about his arm or his skill set, but his confidence. There’s no question about whether he’ll deliver in big moments—he just brought his team to its first Super Bowl berth since the 1988 season, after all. And you can guarantee that any diamonds he buys you will be real and spectacular.</p>
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<p id="imOan7">In Chargers-land, fans are starting to realize that Justin Herbert is doing things Philip Rivers couldn’t even dream of. He just needs to work on his hair.</p>
<p id="Jl4rex">And then there are the Rams and Stafford. This isn’t a traditional NFL love story. Whereas the previous four quarterbacks were drafted by their current teams, the Rams and Stafford began a secret dalliance in Mexico that ended with them leaving their partners for each other. Everyone felt Stafford could do better than the Lions, but the Rams took quite the risk by dumping Jared Goff and two first-rounders for the man of their dreams. Now they are one win away from happily ever after. </p>
<h3 id="UDuNZi"><strong>“Meet Me Halfway”</strong></h3>
<h4 id="iD3KrS">Dallas Cowboys and Dak Prescott<br>Arizona Cardinals and Kyler Murray</h4>
<p id="qxpzLw">Both of these quarterbacks are saddled with coaches who are not carrying their weight in the relationship. Down six with 14 seconds left in the wild-card game against the 49ers, Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy and offensive coordinator Kellen Moore called a draw. How could you embarrass Dak in public like that? The Cowboys also had 14 penalties (!) against San Francisco and led the NFL in penalties on the season (!!). McCarthy’s gotta clean things up, because former Saints coach Sean Payton is single again, and Jerry Jones has always had an eye for him.</p>
<p id="iBDDXB">In Arizona, Cardinals coach Kliff Kingsbury’s offensive plan has mostly been to lean on Kyler. But eventually Kyler will need some support, too. He can’t do <em>everything</em> around here. </p>
<div id="4qu0w9"><div style="left: 0; width: 100%; height: 152px; position: relative;"><iframe src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/episode/1UNYhuXqg54OaIqEdvtgNY?utm_source=oembed" style="top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; border: 0;" allowfullscreen="" allow="encrypted-media;"></iframe></div></div>
<h3 id="vpp2k4">
<br><strong>Put a Ring on It!</strong>
</h3>
<h4 id="qDYmjK">Baltimore Ravens and Lamar Jackson</h4>
<p id="WHJdYp">Everyone expected the Ravens would marry (a.k.a. extend) Lamar after his dazzling 2019 season. But these two are starting to drag their feet in part because Lamar hasn’t hired a wedding planner (a.k.a. an agent). Instead, Lamar’s mother is <a href="https://twitter.com/PatMcAfeeShow/status/1407391513877827590?s=20">handling</a> the $100 million contract negotiation. It’s always hard to talk about money and weddings—especially when the mother-in-law gets involved.</p>
<h3 id="TEiuPX"><strong>Honeymoon Phase</strong></h3>
<h4 id="iSijT0">New England Patriots and Mac Jones</h4>
<p id="9yIW5z">After a blissful 20-year marriage, Tom Brady asked New England for a divorce. And while the Patriots tried to get along without him—remember Cam Newton?—they eventually decided to get a younger man who reminded them of their long-lost love. And … it worked? Mac Jones will likely finish second in Offensive Rookie of the Year voting this season. He has Patriots fans feeling a spark once again. Sure, he isn’t Herbert or Allen or Mahomes. But he is very much New England’s type.</p>
<h3 id="xKGNwc"><strong>The First Year of Marriage Is Not What It Looks Like on Instagram</strong></h3>
<h4 id="YkgYTr">Jacksonville Jaguars and Trevor Lawrence<br>New York Jets and Zach Wilson <br>Chicago Bears and Justin Fields</h4>
<p id="VxfMSj">Honeymoons end quickly. These three rookie QBs all finished in the bottom four among qualifying passers in completion percentage, passer rating, ESPN quarterback rating, and prayers for their safety per throw (PFTSPT—it’s an unofficial stat). </p>
<p id="Ug6o0B">Jacksonville’s marriage with Lawrence got rocky right around the time Urban Meyer’s did. </p>
<p id="KVQaAI">The Jets are the wild-card friend who keeps roping in seemingly solid guys (Mark Sanchez, Sam Darnold, Zach Wilson) but can’t make it work. Do they just have bad taste? Or are the Jets the problem? Maybe a bit of both.</p>
<p id="sZRRAg">Fields’s relationship with Chicago has been crushing. Not crushing in an emotional sense—but in the sense that he’s literally been getting crushed on the football field. Fields got sacked on 12 percent of his dropbacks this season, which not only led the league, but was also the second-highest sack rate of the past decade. The Bears fired general manager Ryan Pace and head coach Matt Nagy this winter, in part for failing Fields. Perhaps the next head coach will make sure his QB gets to operate in a more comfortable atmosphere—and isn’t left with too many scars.</p>
<aside id="3C1u7C"><div data-anthem-component="readmore" data-anthem-component-data='{"stories":[{"title":"The Ringer’s 2022 NFL Draft Guide","url":"https://nfldraft.theringer.com/?_ga=2.164727999.1247826065.1643635668-1131790066.1600170181"},{"title":"Brian Flores’s Lawsuit Has Brought the NFL’s Black Coaching Crisis to Its Boiling Point","url":"https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2022/2/2/22914443/brian-flores-lawsuit-black-coaching-crisis"},{"title":"Tom Brady Revealed a Different Side of Himself During His Tampa Bay Tenure","url":"https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2022/2/2/22913662/tom-brady-new-england-legacy-retirement"}]}'></div></aside><h3 id="AVKW9g"><strong>“You Could Do Worse”</strong></h3>
<h4 id="TKEmUs">Tennessee Titans and Ryan Tannehill<br>Minnesota Vikings and Kirk Cousins<br>Atlanta Falcons and Matt Ryan</h4>
<p id="jCByfM">These three teams are in quarterback purgatory. Their passers are good enough to fear losing them, but not good enough to really satisfy. Each of these teams could move on if they really wanted to—it would just be complicated financially. Trading Tannehill would burn a $28 million hole in Tennessee’s budget. A Matt Ryan trade would cost Atlanta $41 million. Minnesota would have a more palatable $20-25 million cost to get rid of Cousins. But who wants to deal with that financial headache, especially when you don’t have great odds of finding someone better?</p>
<p id="LWADa9">It’s easy for outsiders to say dump these guys, especially when Tannehill throws multiple picks in the playoffs or Minnesota fails to make the playoffs altogether. But the people saying “get rid of them” aren’t the ones who would have to deal with the fallout. Do <em>you</em> want to sell Vikings fans on Kellen Mond as the team’s starting quarterback in 2022? Of course not. Just give this relationship another year and hope they fall in love—or that the dead cap penalty will eventually be palatable enough for a divorce.</p>
<h3 id="jm1fKU"><strong>“You Could Do Worse—Plus He Pays for Everything”</strong></h3>
<h4 id="T0YxaI">Las Vegas Raiders and Derek Carr</h4>
<p id="VdJrpF">Carr falls into a similar category as the above guys, except he has a sweet rent-controlled apartment. And by that I mean he’ll cost just $20 million in 2022, effectively making him the cheapest solid veteran starter in the NFL. (Cousins’s cap hit is more than twice as high as Carr’s next year.) </p>
<p id="0ghbVC">With a deal that good, a lot of other teams might be interested in trading for him. But then what would the Raiders do? Carr is steady. He’s reliable. He just guided the team through an immensely difficult season. New head coach Josh McDaniels may have a vision for him. This is a comfortable life. </p>
<h3 id="XAS2bb"><strong>“We Have an Understanding”</strong></h3>
<h4 id="GtPlc1">San Francisco 49ers and Jimmy Garoppolo (and Trey Lance)</h4>
<p id="7SMJp7">The 49ers have an open relationship with Jimmy Garoppolo. At first, the two were exclusive. But then San Francisco became interested in a younger man—Lance—and made a splashy move to trade two future first-rounders to draft him last spring. Jimmy handled it like a pro, and the 49ers surprisingly stayed faithful to him for just almost the entirety of the 2021 season. But after losing in the NFC championship game, the Niners may split with Jimmy to go exclusive with Lance. That would make Jimmy GQ one of the hottest bachelors on the free agent market—and you know he’s going to <a href="https://www.tmz.com/2018/07/19/jimmy-garoppolo-porn-star-kiara-mia-date/">enjoy the single life</a>.</p>
<h3 id="nMq9jI"><strong>Getting Cold Feet</strong></h3>
<h4 id="KdN9M9">Cleveland Browns and Baker Mayfield</h4>
<p id="3krlYw">Baker and the Browns seemed like they were going to get married last year via a big, fat contract extension. But now the Browns are having doubts. Baker looked broken down the stretch, as he played through a ridiculous amount of injuries: a torn labrum in his throwing shoulder, a broken upper arm bone, a knee contusion, and a sore foot. </p>
<p id="zQIMmV">Love, like football, is a contact sport. And it seems like Mayfield is on the mend—he tweeted last month that he was taking the steps <a href="https://www.instagram.com/tv/CY7SnbsFS7B/?utm_medium=copy_link">“to get back to my true self.” </a>The Browns hope so. They want this to work. Cleveland’s been with a lot of terrible guys—29 starting quarterbacks prior to Baker since 1999. But while the Browns aren’t breaking off the engagement, they might be wise to postpone the wedding. They need to feel that spark again before they can walk down the aisle.</p>
<h3 id="1VRfIQ"><strong>Not Ready to Be Exclusive</strong></h3>
<h4 id="OMn1s5">Miami Dolphins and Tua Tagovailoa<br>Philadelphia Eagles and Jalen Hurts</h4>
<p id="JzSMdP">Hurts and Tua had their own love triangle in college, when they went back and forth as the starter at Alabama. Now they are in the pros, and they have each ended up with total fuccbois. The Dolphins publicly say they are committed to Tua, but behind closed doors, we know they have had their doubts—and that they are looking at other quarterbacks. </p>
<p id="tfJNQc">The Eagles, meanwhile, have no interest in being exclusive. They even once said they wanted to be a “quarterback factory.” (Total fuccboi move.) To be clear, though, Hurts knew what he was getting into when he got drafted. Hurts was added to the roster while the team was still “committed” to Carson Wentz, and then it traded Wentz away to make Hurts the starter. With that prologue to a relationship, Hurt can’t be surprised he’s not getting clear answers about his future. </p>
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<p id="v2Gz4P">Philly has three draft picks in the top 20 this year. It could build a solid group around Hurts. Or it could package those picks for a star quarterback and keep Hurts as its side option. Be careful, Jalen—once a fuccboi, always a fuccboi.</p>
<h3 id="JfiPrf"><strong>Morning-After Regrets</strong></h3>
<h4 id="pCINPl">New York Giants and Daniel Jones</h4>
<p id="UnFYau">In the hazy light of the Dave Gettleman era, Daniel Jones looked just enough like the Giants’ ex (Eli Manning) for New York to convince itself this was a good idea. But in the harsh morning sunlight, it turns out he’s just tall. </p>
<h3 id="SvbENg"><strong>“I Can Fix Him”</strong></h3>
<h4 id="ZbEciC">Indianapolis Colts and Carson Wentz</h4>
<p id="wSGjPV">The Colts traded for Wentz last offseason despite his mechanics being completely broken. And they did so because Indy head coach Frank Reich worked with Wentz in Philly in 2017, when Wentz was playing at an MVP level. The Colts hoped that reuniting the two could re-spark their old fire. Unfortunately, those embers have cooled to gray ash. Wentz committed two turnovers in the team’s Week 18 loss to the Jaguars that knocked them out of the playoffs. Meanwhile, the Eagles made the playoffs <em>and</em> got Indy’s first-round pick. </p>
<p id="sWPlqo">The Colts are committed to Wentz for one more season, but everyone knows they’re already looking for a way out of this relationship. Now, it’s easy to make fun of the trade that sent him to Indianapolis, but haven’t we all tried and failed to change someone?</p>
<h3 id="QwPJaz"><strong>Unsuccessfully Getting Back at Their Exes</strong></h3>
<h4 id="6qhdB2">Detroit Lions and Jared Goff</h4>
<p id="wCJZlV">These two got together for purely carnal purposes. After the Rams dumped Goff for Stafford, Goff moved into Detroit’s place and they tried to make their exes jealous. This spiteful union didn’t work so well. The Lions won just three games this season, and now both parties have to watch their exes play in the Super Bowl. This situation is why Facebook <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2015/11/19/9758232/facebook-got-a-long-list-of-ex-lovers">introduced</a> that feature to “see less” of your exes in your feed after a breakup. </p>
<h3 id="KwwdN4"><strong>The Blind Date From Hell</strong></h3>
<h4 id="cBBfE4">New Orleans Saints and Sean Payton and Taysom Hill</h4>
<p id="uz08lq">Sean Payton has retired—though he doesn’t like that term. Maybe we can use a better one: What’s the German word for taking $20 million per year from Fox Sports until you can replace Mike McCarthy in Dallas?</p>
<p id="ehpE0i">Whatever Payton calls it, he’s leaving the Saints’ next head coach with the most awkward blind date situation ever. Imagine getting to dinner and realizing the quarterback you’ve been set up with plays special teams? Or hearing that, just one season ago, ESPN listed him on its fantasy football platform as a <em>tight end</em>? Payton insisted Hill has a lot of potential, but Hill is 31 years old. That biological clock is ticking. </p>
<p id="JXLc5P">Maybe New Orleans’s new coach can have a friend call and pretend it’s an emergency. Wait a second … is that what Sean Payton did? </p>
<h3 id="tP3XVu"><strong>Trouble With Monogamy </strong></h3>
<h4 id="WigCLT">Seattle Seahawks and Russell Wilson<br>Green Bay Packers and Aaron Rodgers</h4>
<p id="PKL8Hw">Is a person really meant to stay with one team for their entire career? When Russell Wilson and Aaron Rodgers signed up for this marriage stuff, they didn’t know it was going to be this hard. Rodgers won a Super Bowl with the Packers a decade ago, but they’ve lost four NFC title games in the past eight seasons and just had an embarrassing playoff exit at the hands of the 49ers. </p>
<p id="DVORIB">The situation is even bleaker in Seattle. After winning one Super Bowl and almost winning another after the 2013 and 2014 seasons, respectively, the Seahawks defense has disintegrated. Seattle finished below .500 this season for the first time in a decade and doesn’t even have a first-round pick to show for it. With their teams at inflection points, Rodgers and Wilson are both contemplating leaving. </p>
<p id="msuWx3">Wilson not-so-subtly signaled a possible divorce last year, when his agent went on the record with a list of teams Wilson would play for.</p>
<div id="jMlFOg">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Seahawks’ QB Russell Wilson has not demanded a trade, his agent Mark Rodgers told ESPN. Wilson has told the Seahawks he wants to play in Seattle but, if a trade were considered, the only teams he would go to are the Cowboys, Saints, Raiders, Bears.</p>— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) <a href="https://twitter.com/AdamSchefter/status/1365007710496948239?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 25, 2021</a>
</blockquote>
<script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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<p id="p3OkQh">This is like saying, “I don’t want a divorce, but if I did, here is who I’d leave you for.” The Seahawks responded by catering to Russ’s desires: They brought in help on the offensive line and gave him more input in hiring their next offensive coordinator. But everything went to hell. Wilson missed three games with a thumb injury. The Seahawks were the only team to run less than 1,000 plays on offense. Yet after their worst season together, Wilson has <a href="https://www.nfl.com/videos/russell-wilson-on-desire-for-more-super-bowls-my-plan-is-to-win-them-here-in-sea">said</a> he still wants to win in Seattle. </p>
<p id="pbFDfa">Rodgers has made no such proclamations about staying in Green Bay. He can either force a trade this spring or play one more season as a Packer and walk in free agency next year, à la what Tom Brady did leaving the Patriots. The 2022 Packers will probably be worse than the 2021 version. They have a staggering number of free agents, many of which won’t be able to return. There’s been smoke for almost a year that Rodgers could be interested in going to Denver, and the team just hired Packers offensive coordinator Nate Hackett as their head coach. But does it make more sense for Rodgers to get traded to Denver for two or three first-round picks in 2022, or go there without costing the Broncos anything but money in 2023 (and maybe bring Davante Adams with him)? Rodgers might want out now, but it would cost him some medium-term competitiveness. </p>
<p id="ILtxEE">For these two couples, it’s natural to wonder “what happened to us?” And it would be nice to point to one moment when everything went wrong. But in truth, the love drained from these relationships drip by drip.</p>
<h3 id="po1pgG"><strong>“It’s Not You, It’s Me.”</strong></h3>
<h4 id="6Aom1e">Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Tom Brady</h4>
<p id="jOzuZy">Brady is walking away. Even before he confirmed it, everyone could tell his heart was elsewhere. Don’t be sad it’s over, be happy that it happened—and that the franchise value increased by almost a fourth since Brady joined, according to <a href="https://www.forbes.com/teams/tampa-bay-buccaneers/?sh=426b5fcc35d1">Forbes</a>.</p>
<h3 id="1rV1VY"><strong>Back on the Apps</strong></h3>
<h4 id="jVQJpc">Pittsburgh Steelers</h4>
<p id="EbtvAb">Ben Roethlisberger is gone, and the Steelers are back in the dating pool. “Right now, all options are on the table,” Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said in January. “But those decisions are inner-related based on our global needs and the totality of those global needs.”</p>
<p id="nPAsDQ">Hot tip: don’t put “inner-related based on our global needs” on your Hinge profile, Mike. Maybe he means the Steelers aren’t trying to jump into another long-term relationship so quickly. But hopefully that doesn’t mean limiting their options to a competition between Mason Rudolph and Dwayne Haskins. Everyone knows those flings won’t be anything serious. </p>
<h3 id="EkFSHg">Still on the Apps</h3>
<h4 id="Cz3WBl">Denver Broncos<br>Washington Football Team<br>Carolina Panthers</h4>
<p id="3rOIi0">The Broncos have had a bunch of mini-relationships since Peyton Manning left, but they always seem to be into the worst guys. Now they’re on the market again, and this time they look <em>good</em>. Their skill group is young and athletic (Courtland Sutton, Jerry Jeudy, and K.J. Hamler at receiver, Noah Fant and Albert Okwuegbunam at tight end, plus the feisty Javonte Williams and Melvin Gordon at running back). Their offensive line is solid. Their defense was top three in points allowed. Denver’s been working out, and this offseason is their Hot Destination Summer. </p>
<p id="Dre6cU">Washington was with Taylor Heinicke and Ryan Fitzpatrick last year, and those two might be best left in the past. </p>
<p class="c-end-para" id="WLHhAB">And the Panthers are so desperate for a relationship that they dumped Cam Newton for Teddy Bridgewater, then dumped Bridgewater for Sam Darnold, then dumped Darnold to go back to Cam! Let this be a lesson, teams: Desperation is not attractive.</p>
https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2022/2/3/22914367/2022-quarterback-commitment-index-aaron-rodgers-russell-wilson-tom-bradyDanny Heifetz2022-02-02T08:46:42-05:002022-02-02T08:46:42-05:00Nets Fall in Phoenix, Rangers Stay Hot, and Brian Flores vs. the NFL
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<img alt="Brooklyn Nets v Phoenix Suns" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/XuCYHWkRprsUllkVO4QkQ5f1aTc=/400x0:7739x5504/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/70461740/1238128397.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Barry Gossage/NBAE via Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>Plus, Ian O’Connor on the Giants’ hiring process and Coach K</p> <div id="cintjH"><div style="left: 0; width: 100%; height: 152px; position: relative;"><iframe src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/episode/4KAZ5ahnLl3p9YR7Ti06EV?utm_source=oembed" style="top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; border: 0;" allowfullscreen="" allow="encrypted-media;"></iframe></div></div>
<p id="2IY17W"><br>(00:50) — <a href="https://open.spotify.com/episode/4KAZ5ahnLl3p9YR7Ti06EV?si=RyE9qqLcTAKi7E1pjgI9Uw">BRIAN FLORES</a>: JJ breaks down the Flores class-action vs. NFL, how the Giants play into it, and what to expect.</p>
<p id="JBRK5S">(09:59) — TOM BRADY: JJ looks back at Brady’s illustrious career.</p>
<p id="tifhW8">(12:41) — NETS: Kyrie’s and Harden’s big performances not enough to slow down the red-hot Suns. </p>
<p id="POGuvn">(13:39) — RANGERS: The Rangers’ stretch of great hockey continues.</p>
<p id="ekFJZS">(14:55) — IAN O’CONNOR: NY Post writer discusses the Flores-Giants interview process, Brady’s career, and his upcoming book <em>Coach K: The Rise and Reign of Mike Krzyzewski</em>.</p>
<p id="WK3mZh">(33:09) — CALLS: Callers talk Knicks trade ideas.</p>
<p id="94AAci">(41:06) — TRIVIA: Another week of Trivia Q&A With JJ. </p>
<p id="QtLwKx">We always want to hear from you! Leave JJ a message on the Listener Line at 917-382-1151.</p>
<p id="skFVdb">Follow JJ on <a href="https://spotifygr.link/Z2KGxnBEUib">Spotify Greenroom</a>! </p>
<p id="XdP0N3">Host: John Jastremski<br>Guest: Ian O’Connor<br>Producers: Stefan Anderson and Steve Ceruti</p>
<p id="TzcPaw"><strong>Subscribe:</strong> <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/3DRuz7w95Shs4IP88CMTfT">Spotify</a></p>
https://www.theringer.com/2022/2/2/22912290/nets-fall-in-phoenix-rangers-stay-hot-and-brian-flores-vs-the-nflJohn Jastremski2022-02-02T05:40:00-05:002022-02-02T05:40:00-05:00Tom Brady Revealed a Different Side of Himself During His Tampa Bay Tenure
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<figcaption>Getty Images/Ringer illustration</figcaption>
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<p>After two decades in the Bill Belichick–controlled system in New England, Brady seemed more at ease, more comfortable in his two seasons with the Bucs</p> <p id="RGl3Fd">On Tuesday morning, Tom Brady announced his retirement from playing in the NFL in a post on his social media accounts. </p>
<p id="n31TJJ">“I have always believed the sport of football is an ‘all-in’ proposition—if a 100% competitive commitment isn’t there, you won’t succeed, and success is what I love so much about our game,” Brady wrote. “This is difficult for me to write, but here it goes: I am not going to make that 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.”</p>
<p id="Es1F8C">It was a long post, fitting for a 22-year career. CVS-receipt long. Brady thanked the Buccaneers owners, general manager Jason Licht, Bruce Arians, the entire Bucs coaching staff, “the entire Tampa-St. Petersburg region,” his trainer and business partner Alex Gurerrero, and his agents, Don Yee and Steve Dubin. He mentioned NFTs and athleisure. </p>
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<p id="5RnDtX">He did not, however, mention Bill Belichick or the Patriots. You may have noticed this; if you listened to a minute of Boston sports radio on Tuesday you are certainly aware of it. Brady was drafted by the Patriots and spent the vast majority of his NFL career playing for New England but did not publicly mention them on the day of his retirement until he reposted a statement by owner Robert Kraft on his Instagram Story. “Thank you Patriots and Patriot Nation,” Brady captioned the post. “Beyond grateful and love you all.”</p>
<p id="fGQnC4">You can probably guess this was <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2022/02/01/sports/tom-brady-retirement-post-patriots/">not</a> <a href="https://www.nbcsports.com/boston/patriots/tom-bradys-retirement-statement-leaves-patriots-fans-wondering-where-they-stand">universally</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/NBCSBoston/status/1488540319989874689?s=20&t=_M3EcGa8Fj_E1DdlQbMpMQ">well-received</a> in the six states of New England. During the 45 minutes or so I spent listening to Boston sports radio stations on Tuesday afternoon, callers hypothesized that the snub was actually a sign that Brady was going to (1) sign a one-day contract in New England and retire a Patriot, (2) return to Foxborough to replace Josh McDaniels as offensive coordinator and develop Mac Jones, or (3) run for public office in Florida, necessitating a focus on those would-be constituents. Theories varied, but most callers were not pleased to not have been thanked in Brady’s initial statement. His Instagram Story, apparently, made it worse—Brady was acknowledging the Patriots, yes, but only in the same way he was acknowledging, say, <em>Golf Digest</em>, whose post he also reshared with a caption.</p>
<div class="c-float-left"><aside id="0izWmM"><div data-anthem-component="readmore" data-anthem-component-data='{"stories":[{"title":"Tom Brady Had His Own Superpower—and NFL Teams Have Spent 20 Years Chasing It","url":"https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2022/2/1/22913083/tom-brady-quarterback-evolution-processing-retirement"},{"title":"Tom Brady Remade the NFL in His Image and Changed Football Forever","url":"https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2022/2/1/22912955/tom-brady-legacy-retirement"},{"title":"How the 2007 New England Patriots Changed Football Forever","url":"https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2017/8/7/16107814/2007-new-england-patriots-tom-brady-randy-moss-wes-welker"}]}'></div></aside></div>
<p id="jwSFrv">There is baggage here, of course. The split between Brady and the Patriots after the 2019 season was not exactly amicable. ESPN’s Seth Wickersham <a href="https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/28936050/the-story-split-tom-brady-bill-belichick-patriots">reported then that Brady had wanted a contract that would have ensured he’d retire a Patriot</a> but that Belichick was reluctant to make a long-term commitment to a player in his 40s and that the two had a meeting end in “a blowup,” after which Brady knew he would leave the team. Brady and Belichick had unprecedented success together, but had also clashed through the years over things like Alex Guerrero’s training practices and earlier contract extensions. Wickersham also reported that, as early as 2017, Brady <a href="https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/32294122/new-england-patriots-book-goes-secretive-controversial-franchise-robert-kraft-tom-brady-bill-belichick">had told friends he didn’t want to play for Belichick anymore</a>, worn down by his hard-driving style.</p>
<p id="R44Zeq">Then he went to Tampa, won a Super Bowl, and seemed to have a very good time. He started <a href="https://twitter.com/TomBrady/status/1348797993634455554?s=20&t=CMZdzd4lSRHdLA2eqFGBZg">posting memes</a>. He joked about election deniers with Joe Biden at the White House, wisecracking that “40 percent still don’t think we won the Super Bowl.” He made dad jokes in his press conferences. He drank tequila and threw the Lombardi Trophy off a boat at the Buccaneers’ parade.</p>
<p id="D0hybv">“It’s nice that I’ve found my voice more,” Brady said last offseason. “I really enjoy being around my teammates, my coaches. It’s been a different environment.”</p>
<p id="V9Mu0p">The Buccaneers wanted Brady to be himself. They wanted him to be the main event. They included him in personnel decisions and let him get more and more involved with building businesses off the field while he was playing there. He also bent Tampa Bay’s offense to his will, first adapting with ease to Arians’s offensive system, which emphasizes deep passes, then incorporating more and more of the short-passing concepts, motion, and play-action he’d used so often in New England into Tampa Bay’s game plans. The Buccaneers were never going to define Brady, but they were perfectly happy to let him redefine them for two years, something he seemed to relish. A team that would allow a global superstar to be a global superstar, express himself freely, and tell his own story was, at that point in Brady’s career, a more natural fit than one reliant on hierarchy and consistency.</p>
<p id="JIllg5">None of that is a knock on the Patriots. New England has a different culture and much longer-sustained success than the Buccaneers do. Even as Brady thanked Arians in his post, he did so by saying, “Thanks for putting up with me!” Who knows whether that could have lasted five years, let alone 20. And a funny thing happened as Brady got some distance from New England: The frost between him and Belichick seemed to thaw, at least a bit. In October, when the Buccaneers beat the Patriots at Gillette Stadium, Belichick went to the Tampa Bay locker room after the game and talked privately with Brady for more than 20 minutes. Brady’s <em>Man in the Arena</em> docuseries on ESPN is largely dedicated to his time in New England. It wouldn’t be the first time two people with different personalities who’d simply gotten sick of each other mended fences after some healthy time apart.</p>
<p id="gxiBys">That doesn’t explain the omission of the Patriots in Brady’s post. Maybe he never will, or maybe there will be some additional video or tribute planned in the future. Maybe there are still too many open wounds. But perhaps it’s also complicated for Brady to weave New England into his retirement while still expressing himself as an individual given what they did as a collective. </p>
<p id="X3WES8">Brady became a superstar as a Patriot and, together, they were the story of the league for two decades. During that time, though, Brady’s story became bigger than football alone. He became a global star, with name recognition among many who could not name a single other NFL player. He was referenced in song lyrics, modeled clothes, hosted <em>Saturday Night Live</em>, and married Gisele Bündchen, supermodel mogul who is recognizable internationally by only her first name. At times, this was tough to square with a team culture in which <em>nothing</em> is supposed to be bigger than football. Many people know the name Bill Belichick, but no one has ever snapped his photo at the Met Gala. </p>
<p class="c-end-para" id="KON3bs">Few players in NFL history become bigger than the teams they play for—player movement is so routine and careers are so short that fans are used to rooting for teams over individuals, even stars, as rosters churn and reiterate themselves over and over. Brady was different, even if the very team and culture he outgrew was an essential part of how he became a singular figure. In the ultimate team game, Brady’s legacy is as an individual, particularly after his final two seasons in Tampa helped him write a final chapter apart from the only organization that could claim to eclipse his stardom. Brady didn’t retire as a Patriot, or as a Buccaneer, really. He did so as himself.</p>
https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2022/2/2/22913662/tom-brady-new-england-legacy-retirementNora Princiotti2022-02-02T00:02:20-05:002022-02-02T00:02:20-05:00The Tom Brady Awards, Plus Chuck Klosterman on Instant Replay, Athlete Longevity, and the ’90s
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<p>Bill reacts to Brady’s retirement and shares his favorite memories of the legendary quarterback’s career</p> <p id="uiPXsq"><a href="https://open.spotify.com/episode/1UNYhuXqg54OaIqEdvtgNY"><em>The Ringer</em>’s Bill Simmons gives out his Tom Brady Awards</a> to honor Brady’s legendary career (2:36). Then Bill is joined by author Chuck Klosterman to discuss Brady’s retirement; the longevity of the modern athlete; instant replay; Chuck’s new book, <em>The Nineties: A Book</em>; when the decade officially started and when it really felt like “the ’90s”; the impact of the internet, pop-culture, and more (34:41).</p>
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<p id="ZDwfWq"><br>Host: Bill Simmons<br>Guest: Chuck Klosterman<br>Producer: Kyle Crichton</p>
<p id="mID3BK"><strong>Subscribe:</strong> <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/07SjDmKb9iliEzpNcN2xGD?si=X1S_fYL7REi9NlCpheLw6g">Spotify</a> / <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-bill-simmons-podcast/id1043699613?mt=2">Apple Podcasts</a> / <a href="https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/the-ringer/the-bill-simmons-podcast">Stitcher</a> / <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/thebillsimmonspodcast">RSS</a></p>
https://www.theringer.com/the-bill-simmons-podcast/2022/2/2/22912285/the-tom-brady-awards-plus-chuck-klosterman-on-instant-replay-athlete-longevity-and-the-90sBill Simmons2022-02-01T16:40:54-05:002022-02-01T16:40:54-05:00Tom Brady Had His Own Superpower—and NFL Teams Have Spent 20 Years Chasing It
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<figcaption>Getty Images/Ringer illustration</figcaption>
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<p>Brady’s ability to process time and space was unlike anything we’ve ever seen from a quarterback. And while teams have tried to find players with their own versions of that, it’s an unattainable—unreplicable—skill.</p> <p id="IztGaG">Tom Brady was drafted 199th in 2000. He ran a 5.28-second 40-yard dash at that year’s NFL combine, and <a href="https://arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-bostonglobe.s3.amazonaws.com/public/B3PCB4SZWAI6VOS4EUBQ3NKZXA.jpg">he also looked like this</a> when he showed up there. You know all of this already, though. And not just because Brady’s story is a key piece of the NFL canon, but because it gets jammed down your throat every year during draft season. Brady is constantly held up as a lesson to scouts and evaluators who fall for prospects with eye-popping physical traits but none of the intangibles. Ryan Leaf and JaMarcus Russell could throw the ball a million yards, but they didn’t have what it takes in here (I’m vigorously tapping on my chest right now, just so you know). </p>
<p id="cAK7Hc">This is all nonsense, of course. This idea that Brady was some moderately talented college quarterback who pulled himself up by his Ugg bootstraps is laughable. Sure, he was skinny and slow, but he had a strong arm and his trademark pocket awareness was on full display during his two seasons as a starter at Michigan. </p>
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<p id="jgAfsj">Even still, those traits aren’t what made Brady, who announced his retirement on Tuesday, as great as he was. Nor was it his dedication to not eating delicious fruits, or whatever. What made him the GOAT was a trait that is just as unattainable as Patrick Mahomes’s arm or Josh Allen’s size: His ability to process time and space in an instant and react accordingly. That may sound like a skill anyone can develop through hard work and practice, but it isn’t. You could spend the next decade of your life working on your jump shot and you’d never become Steph Curry. And you’ll never become Wayne Gretzky no matter how much time you spend—ummm … I don’t really know how hockey works, to be honest with you. </p>
<p id="t2z0IL">But you get the point! </p>
<p id="BP7GxP">These abilities may not be innate—Brady, Curry, and every other professional athlete has to work very hard to hone their craft—but the capacity to attain them certainly is. Teams around the NFL have spent the past 22 years trying to find and develop the next Brady. But in doing so, they’ve been chasing a ghost. </p>
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<p id="bJCxbw">This wouldn’t be a proper Brady legacy piece if I didn’t bring up Peyton Manning. These two will always be linked because of their rivalry, and because of the idea that they belong in the same genre of quarterbacking. Yes, they were both pocket passers who could dissect a defense with both their arms and their minds. And that’s a convenient way to bucket them. But it’s a bit reductive. Brady and Manning were both geniuses in their own right, but Manning’s genius was more proactive, while Brady’s was more reactive. </p>
<p id="PIGWQ0">Close your eyes and think about Manning playing football. You’re probably picturing him frantically orchestrating the offense before the snap, making the necessary changes to exploit whatever the defense had called. And Peyton always knew what the defense was doing, so he rarely had to adjust after the snap. It was as if he could see the future. </p>
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<p id="OX8hQN">Counterintuitively, the offenses Manning led during his NFL career were always simplistic in nature. The playbook wasn’t very thick, <a href="https://grantland.com/features/how-return-simplicity-peyton-manning-indy-offense-ignited-denver-broncos/">as <em>Grantland</em>’s Chris Brown observed in 2013</a>:</p>
<blockquote><p id="4AkRvq">Despite having one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time under center, the Colts eschewed the conventional wisdom of continually adding volume to their offense in the form of countless formations and shifts … [it] drew its strength from its simplicity. By using a small number of personnel groups—typically either three wide receivers and a tight end, or two wide receivers and two tight ends—it limited the number of possible responses from the defense and made it easier for Manning to diagnose its weak spots.</p></blockquote>
<p id="wippWi">The countless formations and shifts that the Colts threw aside became part of the foundation of Brady’s Patriots offenses. Those tactics were designed to aid his presnap read, and while I’m sure the greatest quarterback to ever play would have been fine without those hints, they certainly made his job easier. (It was also Brady’s ability to adapt on the fly that allowed the Pats to carry such a thick playbook. <a href="https://patriotswire.usatoday.com/2018/09/12/why-running-routes-for-tom-brady-is-enormously-challenging/">The system was notoriously difficult for younger receivers to pick up</a> because of the mid-play route conversions—dictated by the defensive coverage—baked into every design.)</p>
<div class="c-float-right"><aside id="ZorOYK"><div data-anthem-component="readmore" data-anthem-component-data='{"stories":[{"title":"Tom Brady Remade the NFL in His Image and Changed Football Forever","url":"https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2022/2/1/22912955/tom-brady-legacy-retirement"},{"title":"Tom Brady Vanquished Father Time","url":"https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2022/1/30/22909573/tom-brady-retirement-legacy"},{"title":"How Tom Brady and the Patriots Launched a Generation of Sports Media Stars","url":"https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2020/3/18/21185546/tom-brady-new-england-media"},{"title":"Holy Tuck","url":"https://www.theringer.com/2017/1/19/16038422/nfl-playoffs-tuck-rule-oral-history-raiders-patriots-15-years-later-d731b0a6d00e"}]}'></div></aside></div>
<p id="ZvsWVy">But what made Brady special was his uncanny ability to adjust in an instant. While Manning rarely had to go through a progression, Brady did it as well as it could be done. Most starting quarterbacks can get to their second or third read on a play—the good ones, anyway—but it’s not something that happens very often. There just isn’t enough time in the pocket. But Brady was so good at buying time and quickly diagnosing whether a receiver was open (which is harder than it sounds) that all eligible targets had a chance to catch the ball on any given play. </p>
<p id="iBevVr">It may not sound all that rare, but back when Brady was first starting to cement himself as a truly elite quarterback, that was not how passing games operated. Former Pats receiver Donte’ Stallworth quickly learned that Brady was not like other quarterbacks during his first training camp with the team in 2007. <a href="https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2017/8/7/16107814/2007-new-england-patriots-tom-brady-randy-moss-wes-welker">Stallworth told <em>The Ringer</em>’s Kevin Clark in 2017</a> that New England was practicing a play that had Stallworth as a last-resort option. The veteran receiver jogged his way through the play and was caught off guard when the ball was thrown his way, leading to an interception. Brady was not pleased with his new receiver, but it was a learning experience for Stallworth, as Clark writes: </p>
<blockquote><p id="PwJOiD">Josh McDaniels, the team’s young offensive coordinator, found Stallworth on the sideline, looked him in the eye, and said, “Big guy, I know you’ve played in different offenses, but there will be no dead routes in this offense. Everything is live. You have to stay alive because 12 is going to get you the ball if you’re open even a little bit.”</p></blockquote>
<p id="J3ylIH"><em>Everything is live</em>. There isn’t a better way to sum up what made Brady unique. Here’s a visual representation of what McDaniels is saying there, narrated by Manning himself during an episode of his ESPN series <em>Detail</em>:</p>
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<p id="d2qpND">Brady getting to the FIFTH read in his progression would be wild on its own, but, in this particular example, it happens after a bad snap, and he does it while navigating a deteriorating pocket. It’s a superhuman effort, even if it doesn’t necessarily look like it to an untrained eye. </p>
<p id="aaXVNX">As out-there as it seems to say this about a no. 1 draft pick who was raised by an NFL quarterback, Peyton’s path to the NFL is a more realistic one for aspiring young quarterbacks to follow. Manning was obviously blessed with certain physical attributes—you can’t train to be 6-foot-5 or replicate Archie Manning’s DNA—but his greatness was the product of relentless tape study and an undying obsession with improving his throwing mechanics. In that way, his success seemed a bit more processed. Brady did all of that work, too, but on the field, his greatness always came across as natural. </p>
<p id="qcHnqC">If NFL teams insist on searching for the next Brady, they need to start looking in a different spot. Thanks to Brady and Manning, the mental aspects of playing the position carry more value in today’s league, so those guys are going higher in the draft. Mac Jones, for instance, would not have been a first-round pick in 2000, but he was in 2021. And as much as we fawn over the arm talent of Patrick Mahomes and Justin Herbert, what makes them truly special is that Brady-like ability to react to stimuli. They’re not doing it at the same level—nobody is—but that’s where being able to throw the ball 80 yards downfield helps. </p>
<p class="c-end-para" id="rRyTmi">To find an elite quarterback in 2022, you have to find someone who can do both—make all of the throws, and consistently make the right reads. The Brady model just isn’t feasible. And now the one man who could make it work just called it a career.</p>
<p id="iLWJX4"><em>An earlier version of this piece misspelled Wayne Gretzky’s last name.</em></p>
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https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2022/2/1/22913083/tom-brady-quarterback-evolution-processing-retirementSteven Ruiz