Patriots plan to honor Tom Brady at home opener this season

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WJAR) — It seems Tom Brady will stay retired this time around.

The New England Patriots are convinced enough that they will honor the seven-time Super Bowl winner at their opening home game this season. The exact date and time won’t be known until the NFL releases the official schedules Thursday night.

On their social media accounts, the Patriots organization released a composite graphic of the legendary quarterback with the phrase referring to the upcoming date as the “Thank You Tom Game.”

I invited him back to come here and be with us at the opening game,” said Patriots owner Robert Kraft in a video statement. “and let the fans in New England thank him for the great service he gave us for over 20 years.”

He said it would be the beginning of many celebrations for Brady.

For 20 years and six Super Bowl championships, Brady was the face of the organization and the pride of the fanbase. He broke the hearts of that fanbase when he took his talents to Tampa Bay and won a Super Bowl without Bill Belichick.

Later, Brady retired for the first time and famously omitted to thank Patriots fans in his lengthy goodbye letter. But before long, he was back as the quarterback of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

After a disappointing season, he tweeted out a retirement video from a Florida beach.

The NFL plans to release official schedules starting at 8 p.m. on Thursday.