The return of NFL icon Tom Brady from his second retirement has been on his fan base’s mind ever since his emotional February 1 retirement this year. Fans did not expect the two touchdowns against the Cowboys in the wild-card round playoff loss this year to be Brady’s ultimate NFL touchdown. However, there is some good news. TB12 may just throw a touchdown once again!
Sorry to dampen expectations, but it’s not a comeback from retirement. Nor is it a jersey retirement ceremony for the seven-time Super Bowl champion. It’s about the ball. Tom Terrific’s first NFL touchdown pigskin is up for sale to the highest bidder. And now that he is retired, Tom can even attempt a dime to the eventual auction winner.
Tom Brady-ball from his first NFL touchdown up for auction
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Let’s be clear. This is not the ball from TB12’s first regular season touchdown. That ball, caught by Terry Glenn from the game against the Chargers in October 2001, already sold two years ago for a whopping $428,842 at a Lelands auction. This time it’s Tom’s first NFL preseason touchdown ball. A ball that was caught by Dane Looker in the third quarter of the last preseason game of the 2000 slate against the Carolina Panthers. Brady’s Patriots won the game 29-21.
The Lelands Spring Classic Auction will hold the preseason ball auction, with the bidding starting from $25,000. The bidding process will run till April 22.
In theory, Tom Brady's final NFL touchdown pass still hasn't been thrown. The ball that was his first-ever touchdown pass, from a preseason game in 2000, is available at auction. https://t.co/bfo2ED7ee8
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) April 6, 2023
Fans can expect the price to touch the six-figure ceiling, although the regular season TD ball is still likely to remain the more valuable one. However, all the pigskins together can’t do what Tom Brady’s football cards can do. Two years ago at a Leland auction, a Tom Brady signed rookie card sold for a mind-boggling $3.1 million.
Brady’s first retirement caused a huge auction ruckus
The former Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback announced his first retirement in February 2022. After that, his then-final touchdown pass ball sold for more than $518,000. However, Tom came out of his retirement only 40 days later. And that ended up voiding the entire ball sale.
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OUCH! Someone bought Tom Brady's last NFL TD ball for $518,000 at auction yesterday! https://t.co/6x48h8lYsc
— George Kliavkoff (@Kliavkoff) March 13, 2022
That touchdown ball ended up on the market again and sold for around $130,000.
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Last month, a Tom Brady to Rob Gronkowski touchdown pass ball from Super Bowl LII sold for nearly $70,000 after it was signed by the four-time Super Bowl champion tight end. One can only imagine where Brady’s preseason ball price will end up if he throws his final touchdown at the auction.