Tom Brady Should Retire If the Patriots Win the Super Bowl

No one is a bigger Tom Brady fan than I am. No one. But, as much as I'd hate to see it happen, Tom Brady should retire if the Patriots beat the Rams in Super Bowl LIII.

I've been a sports fan my entire life. For as long as I can remember, I've enjoyed playoff games, and championship runs, but I have never witnessed an athlete quite like Tom Brady.

For my money, if the Patriots win their sixth championship on Super Bowl Sunday, Brady's GOAT status will eclipse football. If Brady wins his sixth Super Bowl ring, the conversation changes.

The Brady/Manning/Montana debate ended after No. 12 stunned the Falcons with the greatest comeback in Super Bowl history. That conversation has been over for two years. We need to start comparing Tom Brady to the elite players in other sports. How does Brady stack up against the likes of Michael Jordan, Wayne Gretzky, and Babe Ruth? If Brady wins again next Sunday, I would rank him as the best team sports athlete of all time.

As amazing as Brady is, the ride will be ending, and it will be ending sooner than later.

There are three ways this historic story will end:

One, an injury stops his ability to compete. Two, we all witness his painful decline. When the decline eventually comes, it will come quickly.  No Patriots fan wants to see this. It will be depressing to watch the GOAT fade away. And three, he makes the choice to step away and exit the NFL on his terms.

What better time to do it than right after a Super Bowl win? Go out on top.

You'll hear this repeatedly over the next two weeks: can you imagine if Brady ends his career the same way he started it, with a Super Bowl victory over the Rams? What a storybook ending to the Brady fairy tale. He'd ride off into the sunset with Princess Giselle, his kids, and live happily ever after.

New England Sundays in the fall without Tom Brady are going to be terrible. We've been bracing for this for the past five to 10 years. But, I think I'm ready for this story to come to an end. I want it to be a happy ending, not a heartbreaking one.

If the Patriots beat the Rams, Tom Brady should call it a career. Then, run for Massachusetts Senator, but that's another article!