Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady is reportedly set to retire from the NFL after 22 seasons and a record seven Super Bowl victories.
American sports network ESPN has cited "multiple sources" confirming the 44-year-old has played his final NFL game.
Brady's Buccaneers were eliminated in the divisional round of the NFL playoffs by Los Angeles Rams on Monday.
The decision comes as something of a surprise, after Brady led the league in touchdown passes and passing yards this season and could still potentially win his fourth league MVP trophy.
The Buccaneers tried to convince him to come back for another season but he chose to prioritise his family and his health, ESPN reports.
In a podcast recorded after Tampa Bay were eliminated from the playoffs by the Los Angeles Rams last weekend, Brady said he was "satisfied" with his career.
"I said this a few years ago, it's what relationships are all about," Brady said.
"It's not always what I want. It's what we want as a family. And I'm going to spend a lot of time with them and figure out in the future what's next."
Brady is the father of three and he and wife Gisele Bundchen have been building a house together near Miami.
"I'll know when I know," Brady said during the podcast. "I think for all of us, you know, we can all decompress a bit. It's been six straight months of football. Every day consumed by day in and day out football.
"And I think now it's just some time to spend some time with my family and spend some time with my kids."
Brady's company TB12 celebrated him in a tweet listing his accomplishments, before deleting the post.
"Thank you for it all," the tweet said.
It is unclear when he will make a formal announcement, as he does not want to upstage Monday's conference championship games or the February 14 Super Bowl, says ESPN.
"I understand the advance speculation about Tom's future," Brady's agent Don Yee told ESPN.
"Without getting into the accuracy or inaccuracy of what's being reported, Tom will be the only person to express his plans with complete accuracy."
Brady's present and former teammates have also offered congratulatory messages, with Buccaneers star Mike Evans and former Patriots receiver Julian Edelman mong the well wishers.
The Northern California native, who was selected with the 199th pick of the 2000 NFL draft, is the league's all-time leader in passing yards, passing touchdowns and quarterback wins.
He appeared in a record 10 Super Bowls, winning the game's MVP award five times, and his 15 Pro Bowl selections is the most in league history.
Brady spent 20 seasons with New England Patriots, before relocating to Florida and leading the Buccaneers to a Super Bowl championship last season.
The Northern California native is widely regarded as the best quarterback in league history, and exits the game with five Super Bowl MVP awards and three league MVP awards.
Reuters.
