Life outside of the field was filled with just as much excitement after these MVPs put away their helmets and cleats.
What’s Next for Tom Brady?
After months of speculation (once more!), the quarterback of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers announced on February 1, 2023, that he was stepping away from football.
Although delivering the news was challenging after 23 seasons in the NFL, the seven-time Super Bowl champion has much to occupy him now that he’s in the permanent off-season. Alongside his appearances in television and films throughout his career (notably in the recent 80 for Brady movie), Brady released the bestselling book The TB12 Method: How to Achieve a Lifetime of Sustained Peak Performance in 2017, introduced the Brady clothing line, and co-established the sports-oriented NFT platform Autograph in 2021.
In anticipation of his upcoming journey — the broadcast booth! — we’ve gathered the significant goals that his contemporaries, both current and former, have aimed for during their fifth decade of life.
Terry Bradshaw
Bradshaw — recognized as one of the greatest quarterbacks in history — spent 14 seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers, guiding them to four Super Bowl wins and eight AFC titles. Following his retirement in 1984, he began a career in acting, appearing in guest spots in series such as Malcolm in the Middle, Modern Family, The League, and others. He also featured in the romantic comedy, Failure to Launch, in 2006. In 2020, The Bradshaw Bunch, a reality show featuring Bradshaw and his family, debuted on E!
Additionally, he has served as an analyst on Fox NFL Sunday since 1994 and has launched three country music albums.
At the end of 2022, he revealed that he had received a cancer diagnosis two times that year, but by November, he was cancer-free.
Michael Strahan
Strahan was a member of the New York Giants for 15 seasons, spanning from 1993 to 2008.
He complemented his successful career on the field with a successful career on television. Following his retirement in 2008, he took on the role of an analyst for Fox NFL Sunday. From 2012 to 2016, he co-hosted Live! with Kelly and Michael with Kelly Ripa, earning two Daytime Emmy Awards.
In 2016, he departed from Live! to become part of Good Morning America. In that same year, he was revealed as the host of the $100,000 Pyramid. Strahan has also made numerous TV and film appearances, featuring in the brief sitcom Brothers and showing up in Black-ish and Charlie’s Angels. He is also a writer — in 2015, he released Wake Up Happy: The Dream Big, Win Big Guide to Transforming Your Life — and a recent astronaut, traveling to space with Blue Origin.
Frank Gifford
Gifford formally ended his football career in 1964 — he had previously retired in 1961 due to a head injury but made a comeback the next year — after spending 12 seasons with the New York Giants.
He continued his successful career with 27 years as a sports commentator, recognized for his contributions to Monday Night Football and Wide World of Sports. He also provided commentary at the Olympics. Gifford wedded television presenter Kathie Lee in 1986.
Gifford passed away in August 2015 at the age of 84.
Terry Crews
Before Crews dazzled television audiences, he dominated the football field! Selected by the Los Angeles Rams in 1991, Crews also played for the San Diego Chargers and Washington Redskins, among other teams, during the ’90s. Following his retirement in 1997, Crews focused on acting, achieving fame in the comedy Friday After Next in 2002.
His fame kept growing with film parts in White Chicks and The Longest Yard, and Crews also became well-known for his appearances in Old Spice advertisements. In additional acting roles, the comedian starred in main parts in Everybody Hates Chris from (2005 to 2009) and Brooklyn Nine-Nine (2013 to 2021).
Nate Burleson
Burleson was selected in the third round by the Minnesota Vikings in 2003 and spent three seasons with the team. Throughout that period, the wide receiver surpassed 1,000 receiving yards and established the remarkable record of being the sole player with three punt returns of 90 or more yards in NFL history. He joined the Seattle Seahawks (2006 to 2009) and subsequently the Detroit Lions (2010 to 2013).
Burleson commenced his television career as a commentator for the NFL Network in 2014 and showcased his versatility as an entertainment correspondent for Extra from 2019 to 2021. Following five years of presenting NFL’s Good Morning Football, he started co-hosting CBS Mornings in September 2021, waking up the nation with Gayle King and Tony Dokoupil.
He also received a Sports Emmy Award for exceptional studio analyst for his contributions to CBS’ pregame show The NFL Today.
Brett Favre
The iconic quarterback devoted the majority of his 20 seasons in the NFL to the Green Bay Packers, starting his career with the Atlanta Falcons in 1991 and retiring in 2010 following two seasons with the Minnesota Vikings.
Favre established remarkable records on the field – featuring a stunning 297 consecutive regular season starts over 19 seasons, which remains unparalleled – but the Super Bowl champion, three-time NFL MVP, and Hall of Famer has made an extraordinary charitable impact outside of it.
Founded in 1995, the QB’s Favre 4 Hope Foundation has contributed over $8 million to charities aiding children in need and breast cancer survivors. The foundation is presently being probed concerning a contribution to the University of Southern Mississippi Athletic Foundation, according to ESPN.
In August 2021, Favre collaborated with the Concussion Legacy Foundation for a PSA initiative, advocating that parents postpone their kids’ participation in tackle football until they turn 14.
“CTE is a dreadful condition, and we must take all necessary steps to safeguard the next generation of football players,” he stated in a declaration at that moment.
Jerry Rice
Regarded as the best wide receiver in NFL history, Rice secured three Super Bowls throughout his 15-year career with the San Francisco 49ers from 1985 to 2000. At Super Bowl XXIII, he received the MVP award.
He spent three seasons with the Oakland Raiders before being traded to the Seattle Seahawks, retiring in 2005. According to his website, Rice has set the record for the highest number of touchdowns scored (208!) and “almost every notable career receiving record.” He was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2010.
In another milestone, Rice became the inaugural former NFL player to participate in Dancing with the Stars in 2005, showcasing his remarkable athleticism and finishing in second place.
Deion Sanders
Sanders started his NFL career with the Atlanta Falcons in 1989, and the defensive player would move to the San Francisco 49ers, Dallas Cowboys, Washington Redskins, and Baltimore Ravens over the subsequent 14 seasons. Capturing consecutive Super Bowls in 1995 and 1996, he hung up his cleats in 2005.
Sanders is regarded as one of the top cornerbacks ever and is the only individual to compete in both the Super Bowl and the World Series; the sports icon played nine years in the MLB and made it to the World Series with the Atlanta Falcons in 1992.
The Hall of Famer was selected for the NFL All-Time Team in 2020 and currently hosts the 21st and Prime podcast on Barstool Sports, while also contributing to the well-known show Pardon My Take during the football season. (He also makes a cameo in MC Hammer’s “Too Legit to Quit” music video and has been featured in various TV shows, such as The League, Running Wild with Bear Grylls, and Lip Sync Battle against Justin Bieber!)
At present, he serves as the head football coach at the University of Colorado Boulder, where his son Shedeur competes.
Jim Brown
The unflinching football player served as a running back for the Cleveland Browns from 1957 to 1965, participating in nine Pro Bowls throughout nine seasons and establishing team records for career rushing yards (12,312) and career touchdowns (126), among various accomplishments. Throughout his time in the NFL, he did not miss a single game, as stated by the league.
Despite his achievements in sports, Brown aspired to be an actor and secured a role in the 1964 western movie Rio Conchos. Enchanted by this upcoming role, he notably left the Browns’ training camp in 1966 to shoot The Dirty Dozen and later declared his retirement, according to the NFL.
Performing alongside Al Pacino and Burt Reynolds, and accumulating over 50 acting credits over the years, the Hall of Famer’s additional credits feature 100 Rifles, Three the Hard Way, The Running Man, and Mars Attacks!
Brown received praise for his intensity in football by earning a place on the NFL 100 All-Time Team.
Ray Lewis
Lewis is recognized as one of the most formidable linebackers in NFL history and dedicated his 17-year professional football career to the Baltimore Ravens. He established the NFL records for total career tackles (2,059) and triumphed in the Super Bowl with the Ravens two times: in 2001 and in 2012, which was his final game. Lewis is renowned as one of the greatest defensive players ever and the top Baltimore Raven.
Post-retirement, he founded the Power52 Foundation, which links at-risk individuals in the Baltimore region with job training for positions in the solar sector and other sustainable prospects. Lewis participated in Dancing with the Stars in 2019 and recently joined forces with the Professional Fighters League to promote the MMA sport.
Dan Marino
Marino was a member of the Miami Dolphins for 17 seasons, spanning from 1983 to 1999. He was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2005, and in 2019, he was included in the NFL’s 100 All-Time Team. He was recognized as one of the 10 best quarterbacks in the history of the league.
He continued his football career by serving as an analyst for The NFL Today from 2002 to 2013, and also as an analyst on Inside the NFL from 2002 to 2007.
After retiring, Marino joined as a partner in Anthony’s Coal Fired Pizza, a chain that has grown to over 60 locations on the East Coast.
Muhsin Muhammad II
The past wide receiver for the Carolina Panthers and Chicago Bears stepped away from football in 2009 after 14 years in the NFL. During his time in the league, he participated in Wharton’s Executive Business Management & Entrepreneurship Program, and later on supported his football career by establishing a private equity firm, Axum Capital Partners. He remains in his role as the managing director of Axum.