Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre told Newsmax on Wednesday night he believes — reluctantly — Tom Brady has retired from the NFL, even though Brady made a similar decision after the 2021 season before returning this past season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Favre told "Eric Bolling The Balance" he knows how hard it is to retire. Favre retired after the 2007 season with the Green Bay Packers, where he won a Super Bowl, before returning to play for the New York Jets in 2008 and retired after that season before returning to play for the Minnesota Vikings in 2009. After that season, he contemplated retiring but came back to play another season with the Vikings. Favre made his retirement permanent after the 2010 season.
Brady announced his decision to retire again Wednesday morning in a video on social media, saying, "I'm retiring. For good."
"I'm going to say a reluctant yes," Favre said when asked if Brady's retirement is permanent. "My gut, I would say, yes; but my gut told me that I was done two years in a row, and I came back. I mean, it's hard."
Brady, 45, was a quarterback on an NFL-record seven Super Bowl championship teams, six with the New England Patriots and one with Tampa Bay, in his 23-year-career. He holds virtually every major career NFL record for quarterbacks.
"You would think the more success and the longevity that he's had, it would be an easier decision [to retire]," Favre said. "I tend to think it becomes even harder."
Brady is set to join Fox Sports as a broadcast analyst for NFL games under a reported 10-year, $375 million contract. Favre said watching the game from the broadcasting booth is different from experiencing it as a player on the field.
"That transition into the next phase of your life, especially when he's done it for so long and done it at such a high level, the switch is going to be on and off just like that," Favre said. "I don't think that you can replace that high that you have on Sundays or Monday nights or Super Bowls. I don't think you can replace them with anything.
"You can transition; and in his case, he's going to move into the booth. I think he'll do a great job. But again, the thrill that he got from winning and playing on Sundays will certainly not — no offense to a TV personality such as yourself — the thrill is just not going to be the same."
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