Robert Kraft announces Patriots will honor Tom Brady at home opener
Tom Brady fans got great news Thursday, though anyone still hoping he might change his mind about retirement will likely be disappointed.
New England Patriots team owner Robert Kraft announced Thursday on "Good Morning Football" that Brady will be honored at Gillette Stadium during the 2023 home opener.
“The greatest player in the history of the game played right here in Foxboro, and I’m happy to tell you…I invited him back to come here and be with us at the opening game.”
Robert Kraft on honoring @TomBrady at @GilletteStadium. pic.twitter.com/Dg4Aq2TXvq— New England Patriots (@Patriots) May 11, 2023
Brady being honored at an NFL game is a pretty good indication that he's going to stay retired this time, unlike last year when he changed his mind after two months and returned to the NFL. If he was planning on returning to his career as a quarterback, he would be playing that day and couldn't show up to be feted by his former team.
Brady, 45, was drafted by the Patriots in 2000. Over the next 20 seasons he led them to six Super Bowl victories as they became one of the NFL's crown jewel franchises. He left as a free agent after the 2019 season and ended up signing with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, where he won one Super Bowl over three seasons.
Despite Brady's departure from New England, he and Kraft have stayed close friends. He was one of a number of former Patriots greats that came to Kraft's surprise wedding in October 2022.
📸: Pretty cool photo taken at Robert Kraft’s surprise wedding on Saturday night in Manhattan. #Patriots legends Tom Brady, Drew Bledsoe, Ty Law, Richard Seymour, Troy Brown, Randy Moss, Vince Wilfork, Jerod Mayo, Devin McCourty, Matthew Slater, and David Andrews all attended. pic.twitter.com/CUd1M4FZbM
— Mike Kadlick (@mikekadlick) October 15, 2022
As Kraft said in the video, they don't yet know when the Patriots will be playing their first home game or which team they'll be facing. That's all contained in the 2023 NFL schedule, which will be released at 8 p.m. ET on Thursday.
