Tom Brady and Ex Bridget Moynahan's Son Jack Is as Tall as the Athlete in New Photos Shared for His 17th Birthday

Tom Brady 's firstborn is almost legally an adult!

On Thursday, August 22, the retired NFL superstar paid tribute to his and ex Bridget Moynahan 's son, Jack , in honor of his 17th birthday.

"Happy 17th birthday to the kindest, sweetest, most thoughtful 17-year-old, I know," the athlete, 47 , gushed. "You are truly a blessing in my life and I am so grateful to watch you mature into a young man."

"Your love of family, friends, school, athletics, hard work and dedication to everything you put your energy into are just some of your amazing qualities," continued Brady, who also shares two kids with ex-wife Gisele Bündchen . "I love spending every minute with you and I cherish our time together."

"(Those are all my favorite things about you. My least favorite is that you can beat me in one on one now 🙄😂)," the dad-of-three quipped. "I love you always and forever, happy birthday, dad."

Brady now has more free time on his hands since retiring from the NFL after the 2022 season, but he admitted at the August 16 FanFest event in NYC that he wished he still had more hours to spend with his children.

"I got a lot of things that keep me busy but still trying to be a great dad and be there for my kids . And all the parents out there know that it’s a challenge to be a good parent," he expressed. "And all the kids, I hope you appreciate your parents too! Because there’s a lot of work they put into making your life a little easier."

The TB12 founder admitted his kids "run" his life, spilling, "Every time they call me I know there is a request because when they don’t call I don’t hear from them. And when I don’t hear from them I know they don’t want anything."

Earlier this year, the retired quarterback confessed he had some regrets over his May Netflix roast since his offspring and their respective moms were the butt of several jokes .

Never miss a story — sign up for the OK! newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what OK! has to offer. It’s gossip too good to wait for!

"I loved when the jokes were about me. I thought they were so fun. I didn't like the way that it affected my kids ," he admitted on an episode of "The Pivot Podcast."

"So, it's the hardest part about the bittersweet aspect of when you do something that you think is one way and then all of a sudden you realize I wouldn't do that again because of the way it affected the people that I care about the most," Brady explained.