The greatest of all time will now add another title to his record — Tom Brady will become the oldest starting quarterback in NFL history after he turns 45 this summer.
"I think there's a part of him that wants to prove to himself not to others, but to prove to himself that he can still do that," mental performance coach Dr. Grayson Kimball said.
Seven Super Bowl rings, five Super Bowl MVP awards and still, Brady announced on social media that he has unfinished business.
"These past two months I've realized my place is still on the field and not in the stands," Brady wrote.
And he's not alone. Remember Michael Jordan? How about Brett Favre? Magic Johnson? They're all sports greats who came back after retirement.
"If it's Michael Jordan, or if, you know, these other athletes, I think for them, it's more about the competitiveness, which is more of that internal motivation to want to go out there and see if I can still perform at a high level not to impress others, but to impress myself," Kimball said.
While Tom Brady isn't your common regretful retiree, it's a common emotion.
"It's the same if it's a sport, if it's a business, you know, if it's an academics, whatever it is, it's that same mindset that drives you to the top and it's going to be that same mindset, you know, that's going to probably keep you somewhat active, just in a slightly different capacity," Kimball continued.
A poll by CareerBuilder of people who don't make millions throwing a football found a third of retirees have considered going back to work amid the labor shortage.
And there's hope your more typical retiree will follow Brady's suit, especially with a remote work option.
But Kimball says Brady is not your typical retiree.
"This is on like, a whole other level," she said. "If your college professor decides to come back, it's not going to make national news."
And the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are not letting the moment go to waste. They've made multiple posts celebrating the return of The GOAT.
