Tributes have started pouring in when quarterback Tom Brady announced his retirement for the second time following 23 NFL seasons – 20 with the New England Patriots and three with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. While the 45-year-old Brady is expected to be a first-ballot Hall of Famer, Tennessee Titans offensive tackle Taylor Lewan wanted something more for the seven-time Super Bowl champion. In a tweet, Lewan said the NFL should retire the No. 12 league-wise in honor of Brady’s accomplishments. He followed his tweet with a goat emoji, which refers to Brady who is considered the greatest of all time.
"We should retire the number 12 for every team in the NFL," Lewan tweeted.
We should retire the number 12 for every team in the NFL. 🐐
— Taylor Lewan (@TaylorLewan77) February 1, 2023
Lewan’s proposal came after Brady announced his second retirement a few days ago. Brady also announced his retirement last offseason but changed his mind after 41 days. He returned for his third season with the Buccaneers aiming to clinch his 8th Super Bowl title. However, Brady and the Buccaneers came up short as they lost to the Dallas Cowboys in the NFC Wild Card Game. With his football career now over, Brady is expected to start his duties as analyst for Fox Sports, which signed him to a 10-year deal worth $375 million after he retired last year.
NFL has yet to retire a number league-wide
In its long history, the NFL has yet to retire a particular jersey number league-wide, but the National Hockey League (NHL), National Basketball Association (NBA) and the Major League Baseball (MLB) have already done it. The NHL has bestowed Wayne Gretzky the honor of retiring his No.
99 jersey while the NBA retired the No. 6 league-wise in honor of Bill Russell following the death of the legendary Boston Celtics center in 2022. The MLB retired throughout baseball the No. 42 jersey of Hall of Famer Jackie Robinson, the league’s first Black player, per Tennessee.com.
Several teams have already retired No. 12
Among NFL teams, the No. 12 has been retired by several teams officially or unofficially, including the Buffalo Bills (quarterback Jim Kelly), Dallas Cowboys (quarterback Roger Staubach), Miami Dolphins (quarterback Bob Griese), and the New York Jets (quarterback Joe Namath). The Eagles have also done it for quarterback Randall Cunningham), the Pittsburgh Steelers for quarterback Terry Bradshaw), San Francisco 49ers for quarterback John Bride), and the Seattle Seahawks for their fans, whom they consider the 12th man. Brady’s No. 12 jersey is expected to be retired by the Patriots in honor of his 20 years with the team, which he led to six Super Bowl titles.
No player has worn the No. 12 in New England since Brady left the team in 2020 to sign with the Buccaneers. The Buccaneers can also decide to retire the No. 12 in honor of Brady, who led Tampa Bay to its first Super Bowl title since 2003 in his first season with the team.
