Tom Brady’s career might read like a fairytale (from Mr.199 to GOAT status, yeah, who’s doing that again?). But there was a real chance the story could’ve ended before it truly began. Back in 2005, just two Super Bowls deep and still years away from rewriting the quarterback record book, Brady was quietly contemplating retirement at the age of 27. Why? Elbow pain. The kind that doesn’t just affect your throwing mechanics, but your will to suit up. “I almost retired from the game of football because of elbow pain,” he admitted years later in 2022, at a TB12 promo. Imagine that: no comeback in Atlanta, no 28–3, no seventh ring in Tampa. Just a cautionary tale of what could’ve been.

The elbow scare was the first time Brady’s durability truly betrayed him. The very next year, he bounced back and won it all again, but it wouldn’t be the last time he’d stare down the physical toll. From the torn MCL in 2020 to the TB12 method becoming gospel for aging athletes, Brady kept proving he could outlast Father Time. But looking back, it all could’ve ended before the dynasty ever really began.

By the numbers alone, Brady’s 2020 season should’ve been impossible. He started all 20 games for the Buccaneers at age 43, threw 40 regular-season touchdowns, the second-most of his career, and took nearly every offensive snap. All of it on a torn MCL. “I loved football, but a year or two into my pro career, I really wondered how long I could play if I was never going to be able to throw the football without pain.” That’s not a quote from a quarterback at the end of the road. That’s Brady at his peak, revealing the long-standing cost of greatness.

The elbow pain? That started long before the rings. “For my first eleven years playing organized sports, I had a very bad elbow.” Years of nonstop football and baseball had already done their damage before Brady ever made it to the NFL. From high school to college to the pros, the repetitive strain never let up. That constant discomfort was just part of the job. Until it started threatening his ability to do the job at all. What ultimately changed Brady’s trajectory and preserved his longevity wasn’t just determination. It was trust. Enter Alex Guerrero, Brady’s longtime trainer and the co-founder of TB12.

In an interview with Fox News, Guerrero had revealed just how dire things were when he first started working with Tom Brady. The quarterback couldn’t even throw a ball without wincing. That changed fast. Within two days of applying muscle pliability work, Brady started to feel the difference. Back in the 2021 interview Alex revealed, “Tom and I focus on how powerful the ability to adapt can be. We incorporate muscle pliability work and functional strength and conditioning exercises into his routine, which are key pillars of TB12… The result of pliability is that you recover faster, play better, and spend less time on the sidelines.”

The results weren’t just noticeable. They were transformative. What began as rehab turned into a philosophy, one Brady would later brand as the TB12 Method. The headlines called Brady a generational talent. But beneath the surface was a quarterback held together by decades of wear.

Tom Brady’s hands that built a dynasty came at a price

All the wins, all the rings, and all the records Tom Brady racked up over 23 seasons didn’t come without sacrifice. In a video on his YouTube channel posted back in March, filmed during a cooking challenge with celebrity chef Nick DiGiovanni, Brady revealed that one particular injury still lingers. “Tom, you have the chef hands,” DiGiovanni joked as Brady casually pulled hot waffles from a waffle maker. Brady didn’t hesitate to show the toll football took. “These fingers got pretty beat up over a long period of time. See that finger?” he said, pointing to his right middle finger. “Can’t even bend that finger anymore. Even if you try to straighten it (it falls) — torn ligament.”

Brady also noted torn ligaments in two other fingers and breaks in two more. That same hand took a major hit just before the 2016 AFC Championship, when Brady sliced his palm after striking Rex Burkhead’s helmet during practice. Despite fan concerns, he led the Patriots to back-to-back wins. First over Pittsburgh, then over Atlanta in Super Bowl LI with a historic 25-point comeback. Since stepping away from the game in early 2023, Brady hasn’t exactly slowed down. This past offseason saw him traveling across Europe with his kids, visiting Germany, the Netherlands, and Japan. But Brady isn’t just collecting passport stamps. He’s still collecting momentum.

And he’s letting everyone know it. When he returned to the U.S., Brady shared a glimpse of his morning routine with his 15.2 million Instagram followers and it wasn’t exactly slow living. His post, a five-slide NOBULL gym carousel, featured shirtless workout shots, intense weight sessions, and a not-so-subtle message to DJ Khaled and Michael Rubin. Even in retirement, the fire that pushed Brady to the top hasn’t cooled. Just like Michael Jordan in the NBA, Brady’s greatness might take decades to rival. And judging by the way he’s training, he doesn’t seem ready to give up that crown anytime soon.