Getty Tom Brady is already working toward Super Bowl No. 8.
Super Bowl LV may have not been what we expected but it also wasn’t much of a surprise to see 43-year-old underdog, Tom Brady, clinch his 7th championship ring.
So after his 10th Super Bowl appearance and winning his seventh, Brady, single handily, owns more rings than any NFL franchise, and his label, “The GOAT” is becoming less of a debate.
Other NFL players are taking notice, including Falcons running back, Todd Gurley, who had one question after the big Buccaneers win:
“Should the NFL just retire #12 in the future?”- Gurley tweeted.
Should the NFL just retire #12 in the future?
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The “GOAT” Debate Is Over
This win over the Chiefs has made many come to terms with the fact that Brady really is the “greatest of all time.”
It was his first season with the Bucs away from Bill Belichick and away from (most of) his teammates at the New England Patriots, which showed that Brady was really the motor over there, despite Belichick’s coaching talent.
Not only does Brady have the rings to win the debate whether he’s the GOAT or not, but his individual stats also make it obvious as being the winningest quarterback ever with 230 career wins, atop the leaderboard for most touchdowns all-time. And you can’t leave out Brady winning the most championship or owning the most Super Bowl MVPs.
But with an NFL career total of 79,204 passing yards and 581 touchdowns, Tom Brady is still not done yet and plans on suiting up for the Bucs in 2021.
Tom Brady Wasn’t Going to Be No.12 In Tampa
During a recent interview with NBC Sports’ Peter King on “Football Morning in America,” Buccaneers GM Jason Licht revealed when Brady came to Tampa, he had another jersey number in mind since No. 12 was already in use because of wide receiver Chris Godwin.
“After we talked and we knew [Brady was going to sign], I said, ‘Hey, there’s one other thing here. It’s a small thing, but maybe a big thing. We have a No. 12 on our team and he’s pretty good — Chris Godwin. What are you thinking about that?'” Licht said, (H/T Sporting News). “He said, ‘Oh, he’s a great player. I’m not going to take his number. You know what number I’m thinking of? I’m thinking of taking maybe No. 7. Is that available?'”
But, why No. 7? That’s because Brady was going for his seventh Super Bowl victory. Except, Godwin handed over his No. 12 jersey to the GOAT once he arrived in Tampa and switched to repping No. 14. So, in the end, Brady could continue his TB12 legacy and still chase his seventh ring.
Unlike the MLB, who retired Jackie Robinson‘s No. 42 jersey, or the NHL, who retire Wayne Gretsky’s No. 99 jersey, the NFL has yet to honor anyone in the league by retiring their jersey number. But, Tom Brady has made a great case for that to change in the near future.
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