Brady ran onto the field to a jubilant crowd that had stayed despite the rain that had lashed the Northeast all weekend.
Brady, who helped the Patriots win six Super Bowls, pronounced himself "a Patriot for life."
"Nobody could have imagined 23 years ago that this journey would bring us here today," Brady added.
Our lives take us on many adventures. They take us to different places and introduce us to new people," he continued. "But one thing I know for certain — and that will never change — I am a Patriot for life."
Brady was the Patriots' quarterback from 1999 through 2019. He left after the Pats were ousted from the playoffs in 2019-20.
He joined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and helped them win the Super Bowl. Brady failed to return to the NFC title game in either of his final two seasons.
He announced his retirement "for good" at the end of the 2022 season.
Patriots owner Robert Kraft stated that he wants to give fans an opportunity to properly thank Brady
"Today's run out was a little longer than it used to be." "I'm not quite game shape," Brady admitted. "But it's impossible for me to be in this stadium... and not run out, like I did for the past 20 years."
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