Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady has officially announced his retirement from the game, putting an end to arguably the greatest individual career the NFL has ever seen.

Brady won seven Super Bowls across his 22-year career with the New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, which is more than not only any other player, but any other franchise in the NFL, which is a feat that can only land him in the GOAT [greatest of all-time] category.

In Brady's retirement letter, he states that he no longer has the "competitive commitment" to continue on and this was the right time for him to hang up the boots.

"This is difficult for me to write, but here it goes: I am not going to make that competitive commitment anymore. I have loved my NFL career, and now it is time to focus my time and energy on other things that require my attention," Brady stated.

"I've done a lot of reflecting the past week and have asked myself difficult questions. And I am so proud of what we have achieved."

"My teammates, coaches, fellow competitors, and fans deserve 100% of me, but right now, it's best I leave the field of play to the next generation of dedicated and committed athletes."

Brady has defied logic to continue to play at such a high level at 44 years of age, so we've decided to break up Brady's career into thirds to analyse the GOAT and how each third of his career is worthy of an induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

First era: 2000-2006

Highlights from the era: Three Super Bowl titles, two Super Bowl MVPs and three Pro-Bowls

Brady was drafted with the 199th pick in the 2000 NFL draft by the New England Patriots, and wouldn't break into the side until 2001 where starting quarterback Drew Bledsoe went down with an injury, giving Brady a chance to shine as the starting quarterback, and the rest is history.

During the Patriots' dynasty in this era, with three Super Bowls in seven seasons, Brady went 12-2 in the playoffs, which would put him eighth on the all-time playoff list for players in just this era alone.

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The superstar Patriot was also tied for the most playoff game-winning drives by a quarterback in this era, with six alongside Denver Broncos quarterback John Elway.

This Brady era was defined by his team success, rather than individual accolades which would be more prominent in the later eras, but Brady showed early on in his career that he could step up in the big moments, with this resume being Hall of Fame worthy that other quarterbacks would be envious of.

Second era: 2007-2013

Highlights from the era: Two NFL league MVP's and six Pro-Bowls

This was an era for Brady where the individual accolades were rolling in for him, but the team success wasn't as good as the first era, with no Super Bowl wins.

Brady poured in two league MVP's in 2007 and 2010 and cemented himself as one of the greatest players in NFL history.

Brady's MVP season in 2007 was something to behold, leading the Patriots to a 16-0 season before falling in the Super Bowl to Eli Manning and the Giants.

The Patriots would again meet the Giants in the Super Bowl in the 2011 season with the Giants prevailing again, highlighting a key rivalry between Brady and Eli Manning.

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Whilst Brady's Patriots did not win any rings during this era, Brady still excelled with the football and his numbers were off the charts.

The legendary quarterback had 4,000 passing yards in five of six seasons during this era, which was more than what Hall of Fame quarterbacks in Warren Moon and Kurt Warner had in their entire careers.

A knee injury in the opening round of the 2008 season wiped out Brady for the rest of the season, but it didn't stop Brady from returning to form for the next season and beyond.

Brady will be remembered during this era for his outstanding offensive numbers and his ability to connect with his offensive line. Although there were no rings during this period, Brady's numbers alone would be enough to put him in the Hall of Fame.

Third era: 2014-2022

Highlights from the era: Four Super Bowl titles, three Super Bowl MVPs, one NFL league MVP and five Pro-Bowls

This era was when Brady went from one of the greatest players of all time, to the undisputed GOAT.

Keep in mind that Brady was 37 years old when this era started, and it will astonish you even more.

The star quarterback would win three more Super Bowls with the Patriots, including an all-time great comeback against the Atlanta Falcons and a last-minute thriller against the Seattle Seahawks.

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Then after 20 seasons with the Patriots, Brady moved down south to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were he won a Super Bowl against the reigning champions in the Kansas City Chiefs in his first season there, further improving his outstanding resume.

Brady's 2021-2022 season proved that father time was not catching up with the 44-year old, as he led the league in passing yards [5,316] and touchdown passes [43], which is astonishing given his age.

16 wins and 3 losses was Brady's playoff record during this era, proving he could still deliver on the big stage time and time again.

In 2021, Brady was able to defeat all other NFL teams throughout his career, a feat that has only been achieved by three other quarterbacks.

This era was arguably the best era for Brady, due to the four rings and his ability to move teams and still produce the same success, proves that wherever Brady goes, success follows and is era would thoroughly deserve a Hall of Fame induction.

After analysing each era of Brady's incredible career, it's hard to argue that any period wouldn't be Hall of Fame worthy as Brady has maintained excellence both individually and collectively across his entire 22-year career.

He is truly the greatest of all time, and if it was possible to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame more than once, then Tom Brady would be the prime candidate for it.