Tom Brady to be inducted into New England Patriots Hall of Fame in summer 2024

Brady made his triumphant return to Gillette Stadium on Sunday, less than a year after announcing his retirement. The team honored the legendary quarterback in several ways prior to the Week 1 game against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Tom Brady serves as first “Keeper of the Light”

The New England Patriots have started a new tradition at Gillette Stadium, and Tom Brady was the first to partake. The seven-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback rang in a new NFL season on Sunday … quite literally.

New England announced they would honor Brady for the season-opener against the Eagles. To start things off, Brady became the first “Keeper of the Light” at the newly-added lighthouse, which overlooks the stadium.

Below is the clip of Brady ringing in a new season just prior to kickoff:

Patriots team owner Robert Kraft was excited to be honoring Brady during Sunday’s opener.

“He’s really excited and I’m excited, because our fans never really got a chance to say goodbye in a proper way. And we’re going to do something special and unique with him,” Kraft said, per ESPN.

“He has 20 members of his family coming — all his nephews, nieces, his sisters, his parents. So we’re honored to be hosting all of them.”

Brady also commented on Sunday’s honor during his Let’s Go! podcast.

“I have so many memories from my time there, and memories with people there, and I’m creating a new memory with the people there [Sunday],” he said. “To go back to that stadium and bring my kids and my family in a different way, I’ve not been to that stadium in this way ever. I went there as a player, I went there once as a competitor and now I’m going to go there as really a fan. …

“I love the sport and I love the Patriots, so going up there to see a lot of my friends and family is going to be really a great experience.”