Tom Brady reportedly knew he was retiring when he walked off the field for the last time

• Tom Brady is reportedly retiring from the NFL.
• Brady reportedly knew that he was going to retire as he walked off the field after the Buccaneers loss to the Rams.

Tom Brady is retiring from the NFL.

According to a report from ESPN's Jeff Darlington and Adam Schefter, Brady's 2021 season with the Buccaneers will be his last.

The greatest of all time has decided to hang up his cleats after 22 years in the NFL and seven Super Bowl wins between his time with the New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Brady's last NFL action came in a loss to the Los Angeles Rams in the playoffs last Sunday. After initially falling into a 27-3 deficit, Brady and the Buccaneers stormed back to tie the game 27-27 with just 42 seconds left in the game.

But in those final 42 seconds, the Rams were able to drive the field and secure a game-winning touchdown, eliminating Brady and the reigning Super Bowl champions from the postseason.

According to ESPN's report, Brady knew he was retiring as he walked off the field.

Per ESPN's report: "When Brady, widely considered the greatest quarterback in NFL history, left the field following the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' loss to the Los Angeles Rams last week, he knew it was likely his final act as a football player, sources said. In the days since, he has spent time digesting that mindset and is preparing his retirement announcement along with the next chapter of his life and career, sources said."

For anyone that watched Brady play this season, his retirement might come as something of a shock.

Brady had one of the best statistical seasons of his career this year, leading the NFL in passing yards and touchdowns at 44 years old.

But despite his stellar play on the field, Brady had signaled in recent weeks that he was taking the idea of retirement seriously.

While Brady had long said he wanted to play until 45 years old, speaking on his podcast this past week, he cited his family and his health as potential reasons for retiring a year earlier than his stated goal.

"My wife is my biggest supporter, it pains her to see me get hit out there. She deserves what she needs from me as a husband and my kids deserve what they need from me as a dad," Brady said. "We think we're going to live forever, we're not. We think we're going to play forever, we're not."

For the past decade, it really felt like Brady would play forever. In his performance against the Rams on Sunday, he proved that he could keep going if he wanted to run it back for one more season.

Instead, Brady chose to retire as a seven-time Super Bowl champion — more titles than any individual franchise has to its name.

Even though his career ended on a loss, Brady leaves the NFL as its greatest champion.