In his 23-year NFL career, quarterback Tom Brady set numerous NFL records, including all-time passing yards and all-time passing touchdowns, before he announced his retirement recently. He also owns various records in the Super Bowl that could withstand the test of time, even with the emergence of talented quarterbacks such as Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs. In his storied career, Brady won seven Lombardi trophies in 10 appearances in the big game with the New England Patriots and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. That was just two of 17 Super Bowl records that Brady holds that could be hard to break.
When he led the Buccaneers to the Super Bowl LV title in his first year in Tampa, he became the only starting quarterback to win the Lombardi Trophy for both the AFC and NFC and to capture 5 Super Bowl MVPs. He had the most touchdown passes in a title game with 21, most passing yards with 3,039, most passes completed with 277 and most passes attempted with 421.
In their 34-28 comeback win over the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl LI, Brady set a record for most passes completed and attempted in a single Super Bowl with 43 and 62, respectively. He also tallied the most passing yards in a single title game with 505 in their loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LII and most passing attempts without an interception with 48.
When he started for the Buccaneers in Super Bowl LV, he became the oldest QB to start a Super Bowl at 43 years, 6 months, and 4 days and became the oldest QB to win the Lombardi Trophy when he led Tampa Bay to a 31-9 win over the Kansas City Chiefs. Subsequently, he was the oldest player to win MVP in the finals at 43 years, 6 months, and 4 days.
He also owns the consecutive completions in a single title game with 16 and most game-winning drives with 6.
Bucs can’t place Brady on reserve-retired list
The Buccaneers are in a dilemma following Brady’s retirement as they cannot place the quarterback on the reserve-retired list because his contract automatically voids in March no matter what, per Bleacher Report.
Brady recently filed his retirement papers with the NFL and the NFLPA, making his retirement official and qualifying him for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2028 following a five-year waiting period. In 2021, Brady signed a contract that included four voidable years that allowed the team to spread out his cap space and give them more flexibility to re-sign players and add talent from the free agent market. However, the Buccaneers are in a bind as they are on the hook for a $35.1 million dead cap hit from Brady's deal next season. One option for the Buccaneers is to ask Brady to sign a one-year deal for the veteran minimum in 2023 and place him on the reserve-retired list after June 1. The Buccaneers could also release some players or restructure some deals to create more cap room.
