I was working on a story on the Sean Payton hiring in Denver this morning, but I had to pause on that and pivot to Tom Brady’s announcement that he’s retiring from the NFL again. Brady said that this one is for good. I’ll get back to the Payton story, but let’s talk about the GOAT for a few minutes this morning.
- Brady’s 23 seasons in the NFL were legendary. Whether or not anyone thinks he should have come back for another season this year doesn’t matter. Brady went out on his own terms, and he broke the news to the world this time.
- Brady went from pick No. 199 to one of the greatest ever to do it. Brady threw for 89,214 yards, 649 touchdowns, and a 97.28 passer rating during his storied career, including seven Super Bowl championships.
- The Football Hall of Fame made sure to remind us all that Brady will be eligible for the Hall of Fame in 2028:
- The class of 2028. That’s wild, honestly. I’ll be 38 when Brady is inducted into the hall. I was 11 when he and the Patriots beat the Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI in 2002. ELEVEN YEARS OLD! When he goes into the hall, I’ll be almost 40, and my kids will be in or out of high school.
- In Madden NFL 2001, Brady didn’t even have a name. He was listed as “QB No. 12”, fourth on the depth chart with a 57 overall rating.
- Brady will join recently retired JJ Watt in that 2028 Hall of Fame class, and Watt is hoping on the golf course this summer as well:
- I’ll have more to say about Brady’s career later today. First, let’s recap the afternoon that was on Tuesday when two NFL teams hired new head coaches. First, the news that the Broncos and Saints had agreed to terms on a deal that would allow Denver to hire Payton was announced by the usual insiders.
- Minutes later, the same group of insiders announced that the Texans were hiring DeMeco Ryans as their new head coach. Honestly, from an editorial standpoint, that could have been a nightmare had I not had the Ryans story pre-written.
- Regardless, the Broncos have hired Sean Payton (who will be sending a 2023 first-rounder and 2024 second-rounder to New Orleans), and the Texans have hired DeMeco Ryans. So that leaves two teams with head coaching vacancies, the Cardinals and Colts.
- The Colts have seven names on their list of remaining candidates. They are interim coach Jeff Saturday, Broncos defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero, Rams defensive coordinator Raheem Morris, Packers special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia, Giants defensive coordinator Wink Martindale, Eagles offensive coordinator Shane Steichen and Bengals offensive coordinator Brian Callahan.
- It’s been reported that Jeff Saturday is the favorite in the eyes of owner Jim Irsay. However, some in Indianapolis don’t agree.
- The Cardinals have interviewed Ejero Eviro. They have also requested interviews with Brian Callahan and Lou Anarumo. Will we have a decision from either team this week?
- While Tom Brady may be retiring, 49ers offensive lineman Trent Williams is not:
- Williams just finished his 12th NFL season, but plans to play in 2023. The 49ers will have one answer for next season. Still, they have plenty more to answer between now and then:
- I have a flight to catch tonight to Vegas. I’ll be at the Pro Bowl Games this weekend. So will Ravens quarterback Tyler Huntely. Huntley replaces Josh Allen who will miss the game with an elbow injury.
- It sounds like there might be some mutual interest in David Montgomery returning to the Bears next season:
- The Bulls were at it again last night: