Tom Brady has waved good-bye to the NFL after 22 seasons. (AP photo)

This time, it’s for real.

Former New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady has officially retired after 22 seasons, three days after ESPN said he would do so in a report he and others denied.

Brady, who will go into the Pro Football Hall of Fame as the greatest quarterback of all time, made his announcement Tuesday morning in a nine-page Instagram post that made no mention of the Patriots, the team he played for in the first 20 seasons of his career.

“I’ve done a lot of reflecting the past week and have asked myself difficult questions,” wrote Brady, who won his seventh Super Bowl title and fifth Super Bowl MVP with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers a year ago. “And I am so proud of what we have achieved. My teammates, coaches, fellow competitors, and fans deserve 100 percent of me, but right now it’s best I leave the field of play to the next generation of dedicated and committed athletes.”