Tom Brady retires: Here’s the ridiculous feat not done since World War II that only the GOAT could match

Tom Brady made sure his career went out with a bang, even if he didn’t win a Super Bowl in his final season. Brady had one of his greatest seasons as a passer at the age of 44, becoming the first player since Peyton Manning in 2013 — and just the third player since 1991 (Drew Brees is the other, in 2008) — to lead the league in completions (485), attempts (719), passing yards (5,316), and passing touchdowns (43).

How crazy was it that Brady threw for 5,316 yards and 43 touchdowns? Brady was the first player since Cecil Isbell in 1942 to lead the league in passing yards and passing touchdowns in his final season. Isbell threw for 2,021 yards and 24 touchdowns in his final season with the Green Bay Packers, leading all quarterbacks with a passer rating of 87.0 in that 1942 season. 

The 1942 Packers also produced Don Hutson’s best season in the NFL, a year in which he finished with 74 catches for 1,211 yards and 17 touchdowns. Hutson’s 74 receptions stood as the league’s single-season record for seven seasons, while his 1,211 yards was a single-season record for 10 years and the 17 receiving touchdowns single-season record that stood for 42 years. 

Isbell was the first player to throw for 2,000 yards in a season, ushering in the era of the forward pass in the NFL. His 24 touchdown passes were also an NFL record, only to be passed by Sid Luckman’s 28 the next season. 

Brady finished his 2021 season completing 67.5% of his passes for 5,316 yards with 43 touchdowns and 12 interceptions (102.1 passer rating). He is one of just five players in NFL history to record 5,000 yards, 40 touchdowns and a passer rating above 100 in NFL history — joining Dan Marino (1984), Drew Brees (2011), Peyton Manning (2013), and Patrick Mahomes (2018). Three of the four players won MVP in that season (Brees is the only one that didn’t claim the MVP honor). Brady and Brees are the only two players with multiple 5,000-yard seasons in NFL history. 

What Brady was able to accomplish in his final season may not be replicated by any quarterback, a testament toward how great Brady was as he heads toward the next stage in his life.