Tom Brady will return to the New England Patriots one last time for their home opener of the 2023 season to celebrate his tenure with the team during his illustrious career. This will be the first time in over twenty years that the NFL will play a season without Tom Brady.
On NFL Network’s “Good Morning Football,” Patriots owner Robert Kraft spoke about his admiration for Brady and the plans to have the star quarterback return one last time:
“The NFL is over a century old, and 20% of those years of the NFL, the greatest player in the history of the game played right here in Foxborough.
“And I’m happy to tell you and your audience that I invited him back to come here and be with us at the opening game and let the fans in New England thank him for the great service he gave us for over 20 years. And it will be the beginning of many celebrations to honor Tom Brady and say thank you for what he did for us those 20 years playing for the New England Patriots.”
Tom Brady released his retirement decision earlier this year, posting a video to social media explaining to fans that he has players his last snap of professional football. He said:
“Good morning, guys. I’ll get to the point right away. I’m retiring for good.
“I know the process was a pretty big deal last time so when I woke up this morning, I figured I just press record. let you guys know first so won’t be long-winded.
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If you only get one super emotional retirement essay and I used mine last year so really thank you guys so much to every single one of you for supporting me, my family, my friends, my teammates, my competitors, I could go on forever. There’s too many.
“Thank you guys for allowing me to live my absolute dream. I wouldn’t change a thing. Love you all.”
Truly grateful on this day. Thank you 🙏🏻❤️ pic.twitter.com/j2s2sezvSS
— Tom Brady (@TomBrady) February 1, 2023
Around the time of Brady’s retirement, Robert Kraft talked about plans to have Tom Brady come back to the Patriots one last time before his career was truly over, while on CNN’s “CNN This Morning:”
“Not only do I want it, our fans are clamoring for it. And to us, he always has been, and always will be a Patriot. “I don’t like to make a commitment for him, but we will do everything in our power to bring him back, have him sign off as a Patriot, and find ways to honor him for many years to come. Because he did so much to bring life and good cheer to our community. And he’s a beloved figure, and he’s earned the respect and love that people feel for him like no other athlete in our town. And we’ve had some great ones.”
“Tommy, I’m always here for you. You are part of our family. I just love the guy so much and there isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for him and I think he can do a lot of good things for America and reach out to a lot of people. Thank you for the time you gave us and everyone here in the New England region loves you and respects you and wants happiness for you in your life.”