Retired NFL legend and future Pro Football Hall of Famer, Tom Brady, has never hidden his frustrations over losing Super Bowl XLII.
Throughout the years, Brady has lamented that loss and even suggested he’d trade several of his other Super Bowl rings for that victory if he could. Missing out on the chance to go undefeated has haunted him.
Back in 2019, Brady apparently admitted that his career would have played out much differently if he were able to beat the New York Giants that day.
In the new book, Religion of Sports: Navigating the Trials of Life Through the Games We Love by Gotham Chopra and Joe Levin, it’s revealed that Brady would have considered earlier retirement if the Pats were victorious in Super Bowl XLII.
“Had we won that game, I don’t know,” Brady told Chopra in 2019. “I’m not a big hypothetical guy, but maybe the desire is a little bit different.
“If you’re looking at a silver lining, maybe the desire to reach that point, maybe I would’ve been fulfilled not to stop playing at that time, but I don’t know. Maybe I’d play another seven or eight years and I’m fulfilled.”
Brady’s decision to continue playing as long as he did — even retiring and then unretiring in 2022 — positively impacted his legacy but also took a toll on his personal life.
When his cleats finally were hung up, Brady had won seven Super Bowl titles — more than any other franchise. He is undeniably the greatest quarterback of all time and it seems like he has the Giants to thank for that.
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