Legendary American football quarterback Tom Brady has sensationally announced he will come out of retirement for a 23rd season in the NFL.

Brady — widely considered the greatest player in the history of American football — announced his retirement in January, at age 44 years, but that has lasted just 41 days before he opted to return for another season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

"These past two months I've realised my place is still on the field and not in the stands," Brady wrote on Twitter.

"That time will come. But it's not now. I love my teammates, and I love my supportive family. They make it all possible. I'm coming back for my 23rd season in Tampa. Unfinished business. LFG."

Brady is best known for his 19 seasons with the New England Patriots, where he won six Super Bowls, before adding a seventh with the Buccaneers in 2020.

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The five-time MVP holds nearly every major quarterback record, including most passing yards, most touchdowns, most completions, most games started, most career wins, most playoff wins and most Super Bowl MVP awards.

Since he was drafted in 2000 — where the Patriots famously landed the future Hall-of-Famer in the sixth round with the 199th overall pick — Brady has never had a losing season.

His return immediately makes the Buccaneers top contenders for another Super Bowl: They were knocked out by the eventual champions, the Los Angeles Rams, in the divisional round of the playoffs earlier this year.

Brady enjoyed one of the best seasons of his career in 2021, breaking the NFL record for most completions in a season and leading the league in pass attempts and yards.

He also achieved 43 touchdowns, the most of any player in one NFL season, and his highest tally since 2007.