“I think he knew this in the final weeks of the season” - Adam Schefter reveals behind-the-scenes info on Tom Brady's retirement

ESPN's Adam Schefter has revealed some behind-the-scenes information regarding Tom Brady's retirement. It is now official after several reports days ago stated the seven-time Super Bowl champion had chosen to walk away from the game.

Speaking on ESPN's First Take, Schefter revealed that he believed Brady knew his retirement was coming. One factor that pointed toward his impending retirement was his family being in the box during the playoff games this season. The ESPN insider also stated that the future Hall of Fame quarterback likely knew his time was coming to an end weeks before the season finished.

“I think that he knew where he was going. And this was in his mind. And there was a reason that his family was with him in the box during the playoff games, the two playoff games that they played, and his children were there to savor every moment. He wanted to do it, and he was going to do it when he was ready to do it, which happened to be this morning," Schefter said.

"But he was going to retire, and I think he knew this in the final weeks of the season, maybe a little bit longer. Don't know exactly when he came to the decision, but he knew that there was a certain wistfulness and his appearance the way he played in the way he looked. And today, he must have felt like this was the right time. And I think part of it is probably the fact that we had the conference championship games last week."

Tom Brady chose the perfect time to announce retirement

Schefter went on to say that the timing of Brady's retirement is taking place during a "quiet" period of the post-season, before the Super Bowl. He also pointed out that he chose to do it early, so Tampa Bay could move on with finding his replacement.

"We have the Super Bowl next week," Schefter said. "He doesn't want to take away from what happened this past weekend. He doesn't want to take away from what's going to happen next week. A week that he knows more about than any player who's ever played the game before. And so in a supposedly quiet week, where much of the news revolves around NFL head coaching hires, Tom Brady thought that he could slide in right here at this time knowing what he knows, knowing where he was going, and announce his retirement today. And I think he also wanted to do it early enough so that the Buccaneers can move on with their future.”

The seven-time Super Bowl champion retired after more than two decades in the NFL and is a sure-fire first ballot Hall of Famer when his time comes to be inducted.

He has won everything possible during his career and holds just about every quarterback record. As Brady now looks to the next phase of his life after football, he can face his future knowing that he has left an indelible and lasting mark on the NFL.