‘He’s very excited to be back’: Patriots owner Robert Kraft reveals Tom Brady will be honored for his historic 20 years New England home opener with ‘a Super Bowl LII rematch with Philadelphia’ to mark the occasion
- Tom Brady returns to Foxborough for the first time since a win with TB in 2021
- Brady played 20 seasons with the Pats, finishing his final three years in Tampa
- DailyMail.com provides all the latest international sports news
Robert Kraft has revealed that Tom Brady will be honored by the New England Patriots franchise at the home opener for the 2023 NFL season.
Brady has yet to be formally honored for his 20 seasons at Foxborough, which saw him win six Super Bowl titles for the AFC East organization.
Kraft, an old good friend of Brady, revealed on NFL Network Thursday morning that Brady would be back at Gillette Stadium for the first time since his old team’s defeat with Tampa Bay on October 3, 2021.
“I invited him to be at the opening game and thank the fans in New England for the great service he has given us over 20 years,” Kraft said via NFL Network. “It will be the start of many celebrations to honor Tom Brady for what he has done for us.
“He’s very excited to come back and see our fans. It’s going to be a great, great party.”
Pats owner Robert Kraft shared Thursday that Brady will return to Foxborough for the opener
Brady won six Super Bowls in a dynastic run with the Patriots unlike anything seen in the NFL
The seven-time Super Bowl champion returned to Foxborough with Tampa Bay in October ’21
Currently, it’s unclear who and when the Patriots will play with the NFL to release the full 2023 schedule Thursday at 8 p.m. ET. NFL insider Jordan Schultz reported the Pats host the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 1.
Ironically, it would be a rematch of Super Bowl LII, in which Brady and the Pats infamously lost to the Nick Foles-led Eagles in the 2018 Super Bowl, 41-33.
New England and Philadelphia have played once since the Minneapolis shock, with Brady leading New England to a 17-10 win at the Linc in November 2019.
Brady (R) and Bill Belichick made arguably the greatest coach-player combination in history
Brady will reportedly be honored against a franchise that landed him what is widely regarded as one of his most infamous losses. The Eagles defeated NE 41-33 in Super Bowl LII
During Brady’s two decades at Foxborough, he established himself as the widely regarded all-time greatest in professional football, and alongside Michael Jordan as one of the most successful athletes ever.
Brady stunningly left New England for free agency – and eventually Tampa Bay – in the off-season after the 2019 season. He signed a two-year, $50 million deal with the Buccaneers on March 20, 2020.
During his first season in South Florida, Brady won his seventh Super Bowl title in a 31-9 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs. He played two more seasons in Tampa, and his final campaign came after a 40-day temporary retirement. Brady reached the NFC Championship Game and Wildcard Round in his second and third seasons, respectively.
Brady announced his second, and ostensibly final, retirement on February 1, 2023, in a terse video posted on social media.
