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NFL legend Tom Brady said off-the-field issues contributed to some of his struggles on the field during his final season in the NFL.
Brady was going through a divorce with Gisele Bündchen during his final season, and the seven-time Super Bowl champion said the issues in his personal life made it a challenge.
“My last season was tough,” Brady said during a recent appearance on FOX Sports’ “The Herd.”
“I was going through — I had a lot of, you know, just a personal, family issue, and it was a challenge. It was very … it just took a lot out of me in terms of, you know, my ability to continue to play.”
Brady’s final season with the Buccaneers was the lone season in his career he had a record below .500, going 8-9 yet still winning the NFC South. In 17 games that season, Brady completed 66.8% of his passes for 4,694 yards with 25 touchdowns and nine interceptions.
While Brady considered that a challenging year, his 4,694 yards were still impressive. For context, Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford led the NFL with 4,707 yards this season.
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Brady added that, during that season, he knew it was time for him to attend his kids’ games.
“I had 23 years of (playing in the NFL), so I didn’t feel like I was missing anything, retiring. I felt like, ‘OK, this time I always had a goal — 45.’ I was 45 years old. I wanted to spend time with my kids, I felt like, ‘OK, now it’s time for me to be at all my kids’ games.’ They’ve been to enough of their dad’s games.”
Brady and Bündchen were married for 13 years and had two kids together before getting divorced in 2022.
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Bündchen married her jiujitsu instructor Joaquim Valente in 2025 after going public with their relationship in 2023. The pair welcomed a baby boy in February 2025.
Brady has yet to go public with a new romance since the divorce.
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