Super Bowl 2023: The big game is less super without Tom Brady
W. James Antle III
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When the confetti falls at the end of Super Bowl LVII, either Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes or Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts will hoist the Lombardi Trophy in front of a jubilant crowd.
But one premier signal-caller will be at home on the couch, perhaps — pending another change of heart or the assumption of his duties in the Fox Sports broadcast booth — for good.
Tom Brady played in nearly half the Super Bowls that took place when he was a starting quarterback for the majority of the season. He made it to at least the conference championship in 14 of his 23 seasons.
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Brady won three Super Bowls in his 20s, two more in his 30s (with two additional appearances), and two in his 40s (with another two additional appearances).
The 45-year-old future Hall of Famer won Super Bowls during the administrations of George W. Bush, Barack Obama, Donald Trump, and Joe Biden in an unparalleled career that has spanned the 21st century.
One might say the Super Bowl is less super without him.
Millions of fans don’t see it this way, of course. They are happy for No. 12 to finally hang it up after years of falling to either the New England Patriots or the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in big games.
They are tired of hearing about his wins, stats, retirements and unretirements, and marital problems. They are sick of seeing his visage plastered all over the newspapers, internet, and television screen, an all-out blitz that hasn’t ended since the day he called it quits.
Not even I can fathom going to see 80 for Brady, which by the way is coming to a theater near you.
At most two of the NFL fan bases are sorry to see Brady go. Most are ready to move on, as they did with Johnny Unitas, Joe Montana, and Peyton Manning before him.
Indeed, Hurts is a nice story and Mahomes, with three Super Bowl appearances in his first five seasons as a starter, looks ready to make his own push for greatness.
But will Mahomes still be going 18 years from now? Brady, who bested Mahomes in what looks to be his final Super Bowl victory, threw more touchdown passes in his 40s than in his 20s.
Only six times has a quarterback aged 40 and up thrown for more than 4,000 yards in a season. Brady at 40, Brady at 41, Brady at 42, Brady at 43, Brady at 44, and Brady at 45. He was third in passing yards last season, a down year, and first at 5,316 in his penultimate campaign (for which he should have won league MVP). He threw as many touchdown passes this season as he did 10 years ago, though quite a bit fewer than in 2021.
You get the point. Many will say he played a year too long, given the Buccaneers’ woefully early exit from the playoffs. Depending on what happens at quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers this offseason, it’s arguable he retired a year too early. Certainly, the Las Vegas Raiders front office may be inclined to think so.
Michael Jordan retired three times, Brett Favre four.
There will be other great quarterbacks. Mahomes already is one. There are several other young players making their case.
Brady has a combination of greatness and longevity that is certainly unprecedented and may never be eclipsed.
That the end of his career was inevitable doesn’t make it less of a loss to the sport, even if it can be argued that he quit while he was still (more or less) ahead.
Get the bus ready for Jane Fonda and Sally Field.
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The game will move on, just as it will when Mahomes retires or Aaron Rodgers is fitted for his gold jacket in Canton.
Nothing lasts forever. But in NFL terms, Brady’s playing career came close.