New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady talks with owner Robert Kraft before a NFL football game against the Philadelphia Eagles at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass., on Sunday, Dec. 6, 2015. (Winslow Townson/AP Images for Panini) (Winslow Townson, AP)
New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft wants Tom Brady to officially retire with his longtime team.
Kraft hopes to sign Brady, who played his first 20 NFL seasons with New England, to a symbolic one-day contract after the quarterback announced his retirement Wednesday.
“Not only do I want it, our fans are clamoring for it. To us, he … always has been and always will be a Patriot,” Kraft told CNN on Thursday.
“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 won six Super Bowls with the Patriots before signing with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2020. He won his seventh Super Bowl title in his first year with Tampa and spent his final three seasons with the team.
The 45-year-old Brady previously announced plans to retire in early 2022, only to return less than two months later. In Wednesday’s announcement, Brady said he’s stepping away “for good” this time.
Brady won three Most Valuable Player trophies with New England and threw 541 of his NFL-record 649 touchdown passes with the team.
The Patriots famously drafted Brady 199th overall in the 2000 NFL Draft. Brady told Kraft shortly afterward, “I’m the best decision your franchise has ever made,” the owner told CNN.
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Originally published at Tribune News Service