By Jacob Calvin Meyer - The Washington Times - Monday, March 14, 2022

The biggest loser from Tom Brady’s return to the NFL isn’t the other teams in the NFC South. 

The biggest loser from the Brady news was an NFL fan who one day earlier had spent $518,000 at an auction for Brady’s “final” touchdown pass ball. Then, about 24 hours later, that football very likely lost some of that distinctive, collector’s-item cachet when the seven-time Super Bowl champion quarterback unretired after just 39 days. 

The ball was the one used when Brady hit wideout Mike Evans for a 55-yard touchdown with 3:20 remaining in the NFC division round game against the Rams. Evans threw the ball into the stands after scoring. 

It’s unclear what the value of the football will be moving forward, but the general consensus is that the value fell drastically once Brady exited retirement. According to Sports Illustrated’s Conor Orr, the auction house declined comment when contacted about whether the buyer is stuck with the purchase. 

“What’s the new worth of the last Tom Brady TD ball that someone agreed to pay $518,000 for 19 hours before Brady retired? Based on industry comps, it’s probably worth about $15,000,” Action Network’s Darren Rovell tweeted.

“Whoever paid $518K for Tom Brady’s last touchdown ball (of the 2021 season*) just saw their investment’s value plummet,” The Athletic’s David Lombardi posted on Twitter.

“If you think you’re having a bad day: just yesterday, someone bought Tom Brady’s ‘last touchdown’ ball at auction for $500,000,” tweeted one NFL fan. 

• Jacob Calvin Meyer can be reached at jmeyer@washingtontimes.com.

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