Patriots honor Tom Brady at the 2023 stadium opener

“I invited him back to be with us for the opening game and let the New England fans thank him… It will be the beginning of many celebrations honoring Tom Brady,” Kraft said on NFL Network.

The date and time for the team’s home opener Thursday night (8 ET, ESPN) will be revealed along with the rest of the league schedule.

“He’s so excited to be back watching our fans. It’s going to be an amazing, wonderful celebration,” Kraft added of Brady, who announced his retirement after 23 seasons.

Brady spent his first 20 seasons in New England (2000-2019), winning six Super Bowls, before ending his career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2020-2022) winning their seventh title. He is the only player to win more than five Super Bowls in his career, and has been named Super Bowl MVP five times.

Brady said he would “permanently” retire from football on February 1, announcing his decision on social media, and saying he would “not change anything” about his career. He also announced that he would retire on February 1, 2022, before changing his mind after 40 days and returning to play last season with the Pirates.

Brady finished as the NFL’s leader in career passes (89,214) and touchdown passes (649). The three-time Major League Player of the Year passed for 4,694 yards — third most in the NFL — and 25 touchdowns last season. He also holds the NFL records for regular season victories (251), Super Bowl appearances (10), playoff games (48) and wins (35), as well as touchdown yards (13,400) and TDs (88).

In May 2022, Brady agreed to join Fox Sports as its lead analyst when his football career ended, but said in February that he would not begin as a sportscaster until the fall of 2024.