In a historic Sotheby’s auction, the jersey sported by Tom Brady during his final NFL appearance was sold for $1,391,000, establishing a new record for the highest price ever fetched by an NFL game-worn jersey in a public auction. The jersey, verified by MeiGray through photo matching, was worn by Brady in the second half of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' NFC Wild Card playoff game against the Dallas Cowboys on January 16, 2022, which they lost 31-14.
While the jersey's final bid did not quite reach the pre-auction estimate of between $1.5 million and $2.5 million, it did surpass the previous high of $1.2 million paid for a Joe Montana Super Bowl jersey sold earlier in the year.
The event took place amidst the excitement of the Las Vegas Grand Prix, with the auction also featuring a selection of cars and racing memorabilia. Brady, who retired on February 1 after a prolific 23-season career, had a remarkable 351-yard performance against the Cowboys, the most yards thrown by any player in their final playoff outing.
Brady's size 44 Nike jersey, adorned with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers logo and his captain’s patch, shows evident signs of game use, including grass stains. It is autographed by Brady, who inscribed it with "My Last Game" and "GOAT Out!"
This sale comes on the heels of another Brady jersey, worn for his 700th career touchdown pass, which was auctioned for $1.2 million in a charity event earlier in the fall. The provenance of the jersey from his last game, however, remains undisclosed, with Sotheby’s only revealing that it was sold privately before being consigned to the auction, leaving the details of its previous ownership to speculation.