Ball from Tom Brady's final touchdown pass set to go up for auction

What might be one of the most coveted pieces of memorabilia from Tom Brady’s final season in the NFL has just been put to auction. Brady gave official word that he plans to retire from the NFL in February but has left the door open for a possible return. However, despite the possibility of a return, the ball in which he threw his final touchdown in the NFL is set to go to auction.

In what could be Brady’s final game of his NFL career, the veteran quarterback threw a touchdown pass to receiver Mike Evans with 3:20 left in the divisional playoff game against the Los Angeles Rams. Similar to when he caught Brady’s 600th touchdown pass earlier in the season, Evans tossed the ball into the crowd. But unlike the 600th touchdown pass, nobody from the team, or even Brady himself, contacted the individual to broker a deal for the ball. And now, the owner of that ball wants to move off of the merchandise and cash in.

The seller stands to make a handsome amount of money from the sale of this ball. It is reported that, back in June, when Lelands sold the football Brady threw to complete his first touchdown pass, that ball went for $428,841.

Evans on Brady’s retirement

Following the retirement of Tom Brady, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have a hole to fill at quarterback. As one of the biggest beneficiaries of the past two seasons, and one of the most influential in seasons to come, Mike Evans provided his thoughts on the past and future.

During a Super Bowl week interview, Mike Evans spoke about Tom Brady, the Buccaneers and the future at the quarterback position.

“It’s been an unbelievable last two seasons,” Evans told NFL.com. “I’d never imagined I had the opportunity to play with Tom Brady, the greatest athlete in sports history. He instilled a lot of things in this team, and we’re going to implement that moving forward. Obviously, it’s the biggest shoes to fill, but we’ve got to step up.”

Evans played 23 regular season games with Brady over two seasons, also winning the 2021 Super Bowl and making another playoff appearance this year. He had 144 receptions for 2,041 yards and 27 touchdowns over that span, making the Pro Bowl once.

“We’ve got to keep doing what we’ve been doing,” Evans said. “We’ll figure out the quarterback when we do. Hopefully, we find that out soon, so I can get in some work with him. But like I said (Brady), instilled things in us, work ethic, making sure we’re on top of our game, week in and week out. Making sure bodies are healthy, making sure they can feel as good as they feel. He definitely taught us that these last two years, and we’ve just got to keep it going.”

Among the candidates to replace Brady, former Florida star Kyle Trask stands out as an in-house option. He was selected by the Buccaneers in the 2021 NFL Draft as an understudy for the future Hall of Famer.