Why did Tom Brady quit baseball? Revisiting NFL legend's fork-in-the-road decision

After 23 years of incredible success, Tom Brady declared his retirement from the NFL for the second time earlier this year. Before deciding on football, Brady had the option to play a whole different sport when he was younger.

It should come as no surprise that the quarterback, who won seven Super Bowls, was a superb all-around athlete in his early years, having demonstrated proficiency in basketball, baseball, and football.

Major League Baseball scouts spotted Brady when he was still in high school, which suggests he was nearly as skilled at baseball as he was on the gridiron. Brady was pushed by many powerful baseball figures to forgo football in favor of MLB. Brady was selected by the Montreal Expos in the 18th round of the 1995 MLB draft, after being included in the draft.

Though it's thought he may have gone higher in the draft, several teams were concerned he might eventually turn down baseball in favor of a football career. They were right, after all.

WFTS reports that while Brady was practicing with the Expos, an outfielder named F.P. Santangelo questioned him about why he was thinking about baseball when he had an offer of a scholarship to play at Michigan, where he could play every week in front of 100,000 fans. Brady ultimately decided to play football at Michigan rather than take advantage of his draft opportunity to play professional baseball.

When questioned about his time playing baseball, Brady responded (during an interview with Dan Patrick on his show):

"Baseball was not my sport. Although I really like it, there was a reason I went with football. Even though I liked baseball, it was a fantastic sport, particularly in California where I grew up. That was my first love, and it was game over as soon as I started playing football.”

Tom Brady was selected by the New England Patriots with the 199th overall choice in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft, following his departure from Michigan. Over his 20-year career, he was a key member of the Patriots' six Super Bowl victories. In 2020, he moved on to play with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, where he won one more Super Bowl before he announced his retirement in February.

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Many believe Tom Brady would have been a baseball great

The Expos did everything they could to persuade Tom Brady to pursue a career as an MLB catcher when he ultimately decided to play football.

Baseball scout John Hughes, one of the men who saw the former quarterback for the New England Patriots in his youth, stated,

"I think he would have been a pro. He possessed every intangible. He possessed left-handed strength and could throw."

Kevin Malone, the former general manager of the Expos, stated,

"I think he could have been one of the greatest catchers ever. I know that's quite a statement, but the projections were based on the fact we had a left-hand-hitting catcher in him, with arm strength and athleticism.”

Even Pete Jensen, Tom Brady's high school coach, told ABC Action News that he thought "baseball was his best sport.”