Tom Brady wasn't quite sure how to approach Sunday's halftime ceremony during the Week 1 game between the New England Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles, so he looked to one of his greatest rivals for inspiration.
Before stepping to the stage for his speech, Brady ran the length of the field toward the end zone and fired up the crowd with an energetic fist pump and his famous "Let's (expletive) go!" chant.
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The idea for that entrance came from Brady watching other players' retirement ceremonies, and specifically Peyton Manning's with the Indianapolis Colts in 2017.
"On Sunday morning at 6 a.m. when I woke up I said, 'You know what I'm gonna do? I don't quite know what I'm going to say to the crowd. Let me look at some of my favorite players get up there in their retirements and speak," Brady said on his “Let’s Go!” podcast with Larry Fitzgerald and Jim Gray, along with special guest Peyton Manning. "I google 'Peyton Manning jersey retirement speech,' ... He goes up on stage, says great things like he always does, gets off the stage, (Jeff) Saturday snaps him the ball and he fires a post to Reggie Wayne in the end zone.
"So I was like, you know what? I'm gonna do something fun that the crowd's gonna really like. So let me run out there, kind of do my thing and I'll get up on stage and have a good time. So, Peyton, I will say even though you weren't there, you were a part of that celebration for me yesterday."
Brady's end zone run and halftime speech were just the beginning of the Patriots honoring his legacy and contributions to the franchise's success.
New England Patriots
Patriots owner Robert Kraft announced Sunday that the team will induct Brady into its Hall of Fame on June 12, 2024. Normally, players must wait four years after retiring to become eligible for the Patriots Hall of Fame, but Kraft is waiving that period for Brady, which obviously makes sense.