Should Tom Brady's #12 jersey number be retired league-wide? Considering a rare honor for the Patriots legend

Tom Brady's status as the greatest NFL quarterback of all time is undoubted in many quarters. His achievements and accolades speak for themselves. It's little wonder that Tennessee Titans offensive tackle Taylor Lewan suggested a league-wide retirement of his jersey.

The seven-time Super Bowl winner wore the No. 12 jersey throughout his playing days for the New England Patriots and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Retiring his number from the NFL would mean that no other team is allowed to issue the No. 12 jersey to a player anymore.

So, is this likely to happen, is there precedence for a league-wide retirement of a number?

Has the NFL ever retired a player's jersey number league-wide?

League-wide jersey numbers retirement is rare, but not alien to American sports. However, the practice has never been recorded in the history of the NFL. Despite seeing it occur in other major American sports leagues, the NFL has never deemed any player worthy of it.

The practice was first recorded in America's major sports leagues on April 15, 1997. The MLB retired the number 42 jersey of Jackie Robinson, who was the first African-American to play in the league, and officially adopted the date as "Jackie Robinson Day."

The NHL followed suit in 2000 when Wayne Gretzky's number 99 jersey was retired league-wide after the end of the Center's playing days. The NBA also joined the bandwagon in 2022, when it retired Bill Russell's number 6 jersey in honor of the five-time MVP.

Only the NFL is yet to retire a player’s jersey number league-wide among the four major American professional sports leagues. The question that begs for an answer is whether the NFL feels Brady deserves this special honor.

What impact would retiring Tom Brady's jersey number have on the NFL?

Should the NFL decide to bestow this rare and special honor on Tom Brady, the number 12 jersey will disappear from the league forever. This would certainly have an impact on some teams in the league, should it be immediately implemented by the NFL.

A good number of players in the league currently wearing the number 12 jersey might have to make the switch instantly. Jersey numbers are a big part of a player's brand, and this would be an unpopular request. This includes Green Bay Packers veteran Aaron Rodgers (never one to shy away from speaking his mind), whose next podcast appearance would certainly be an interesting watch.

NFC Divisional Playoffs - San Francisco 49ers v Green Bay Packers

It would, however, have no effect on teams who have already retired the number 12 jerseys within their teams. These include the Buffalo Bills (Jim Kelly), Miami Dolphins (Bob Griese), New York Jets (Joe Namath), San Francisco 49ers (John Brodie), and the Seattle Seahawks (Fans - 12th man).

Considering his longevity and achievements in the NFL, Brady is arguably worthy of having his jersey number retired league-wide. The issue is that he is a polarizing figure due to scandals during his time with the Patriots. These include Spygate and, in particular, Deflategate.

It remains to be seen whether the NFL will give it consideration. However, Brady has to truly retire before any of this can be confirmed. As his last retirement lasted under two months, we cannot be certain that he is truly finished playing yet.