WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft wants Tom Brady to retire as a Patriot.
Kraft told CNN on Thursday that he's hopeful Brady will sign a one-day contract with the Patriots.
"Not only do I want it," Kraft said. "Our fans are clamoring for it, and to us, he always has been and always will be a Patriot. … We will do everything in our power to bring him back, have him sign off as a Patriot and find ways to honor him for many years to come."
Brady announced – for the second time – his retirement from the NFL on Wednesday, calling it quits after 23 seasons – the last three with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers – and winning seven Super Bowl rings.
The 45-year-old quarterback briefly retired before the 2022 season, but it lasted just 40 days before he returned to the Buccaneers.
Unlike last year, Brady said this retirement is "for good."
Widely considered to be one of the greatest players of all-time, Brady helped build a dynasty in New England, leading the Patriots to 17 AFC East Division titles, 13 conference championship games, nine Super Bowl appearances and six Super Bowl victories — all of which are NFL records for a player and franchise — between 2001, when he supplanted former No. 1 overall pick Drew Bledsoe as starting quarterback, and 2019.
Brady came to New England as a sixth-round draft pick of the Patriots in 2000 and became the starter in his second season after an injury to Bledsoe. The Patriots went on to win their first of three Super Bowls in four years, quickly emerging as the team to beat in the NFL.
After a two-year absence, Brady and the Patriots returned to the Super Bowl to cap the 2007 season in historic fashion, becoming the only team to complete a 16-game regular season undefeated. But the New York Giants defeated the Pats in a 17-14 upset, spoiling what would have been the NFL's first perfect season since the 1972 Miami Dolphins.
Four years later, Brady and the Pats were back in the Super Bowl — once again facing the Giants. Like before, the Giants got the better of New England, winning 21-17 and handing the Pats their second Super Bowl loss of the Brady era.
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Brady and the Pats got back to their winning ways after another two-year Super Bowl absence, playing in four of five Super Bowls during Brady's final five seasons in New England. The Pats won three Super Bowls in that span, their lone loss to the Philadelphia Eagles after the 2017 season.
The five-time Super Bowl MVP has played in 10 of the last 20 Super Bowls and owns several of the NFL's career quarterback records, including passing yards (89,214), completions (7,753), touchdown passes (649) and games started (372).
Brady's final game in a Patriots uniform was a 20-13 loss to the Tennessee Titans at home in a wild-card playoff game during the 2019 season.
Now that he's retired, Brady will have plenty more time to spend on the golf course. Perhaps Kraft, who has a home in Palm Beach, can persuade Brady to ink the deal during a round of 18 at Seminole Golf Club, the private Donald Ross-designed course in Juno Beach that Brady joined shortly after signing with the Buccaneers in 2020.