Tom Brady, famed Mark Sanchez postseason victim, retires at 44

Tom Brady, best known for his stunning 28-21 loss to Mark Sanchez and the NY Jets in the Divisional Round of the 2010-11 postseason, has retired at the age of 44.

Arguably the greatest quarterback of all time, Brady retires with a career record of 30-7 (1-1 in the playoffs) against the Jets with his lone postseason defeat serving as the pinnacle of his NFL career.

On a cool Sunday evening in Foxborough, Brady and the Patriots played host to Sanchez and the Jets with most anticipating a one-sided New England victory.

But in what would prove to be the defining moment of Brady's entire tenure in the NFL, the future Hall of Famer couldn't match the greatness that was Mark Sanchez as the Jets emerged victorious and went on to play in the AFC Championship Game.

Brady retires a legend, but most importantly, one of the victims of Sanchez's postseason dominance from 2009 to 2011.

Tom Brady's history with the NY Jets is as complicated as any player

All jokes aside, it will be an eerie feeling to go through an NFL season without Brady. The undisputed greatest quarterback, and likely greatest player, of all time, what Brady accomplished will likely never be replicated.

Even at age 44, he was still in the conversation for the best QB in football. His reign of excellence that saw him named to 15 Pro Bowls, win three MVPs, and of course seven Super Bowl rings is something that no player will ever be able to match.

He tormented the rest of the AFC East, the Jets included, for the better part of two decades. From the Mo Lewis hit that started it all to Spygate and everything in between, the Jets' history with Brady is as extensive as his history with any franchise that doesn't play in Foxborough.

For better or worse (mostly worse), Brady and the Jets were synonymous for years, and you can't tell the story of his time in the NFL without including a chapter devoted to Gang Green.

After all, how else are you going to talk about one of the most monumental moments of his NFL career — his loss to Sanchez and the Jets in the 2011 playoffs?

Tom Brady's legacy will be defined by his on-field supremacy and his off-field demeanor, but at the end of the day, he's just another victim of Jets playoff legend, Mark Sanchez.

Thanks for the memories, Tom. May retirement treat you better than you did the Jets.

*Reports now suggest that Brady realized Sanchez was also retired and decided he wanted no part of retirement. Smart move, Tom*