Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Montana has seen enough of Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady.
Montana doesn’t doubt Brady is the greatest NFL quarterback of all time, the GOAT, which he confirmed on ESPN’s “First Take” on Wednesday.
“I think Tom has, you know, taken his place on the top up there a long time ago,” Montana said. “So he’s had a tremendous career, is fun to watch. Yeah, there’s always — and everybody always contests over that, but I think when you look at what Tom’s been able to accomplish in his time that he’s played, I think it definitely puts him at the top of the list.”
.@JoeMontana finally admits publicly, @TomBrady is the greatest player in NFL history.
“Definitely Tom, definitely.”
“There’s a lot of great guys, as I said, before me. Even you go back to Otto Graham, who won 10 or 11 championships. So it’s hard to compare them, but you know if you’re looking at it, yeah, definitely Tom at that point,” Montana added.
Montana hasn’t always been that direct about Brady being the GOAT as the Bucs quarterback racked up more Lombardi Trophies in the past three years per WEEI. Montana told The Athletic in 2019 that the GOAT conversation isn’t cut and dry.
“I don’t think you can answer that question,” Montana said. “Because the game’s so different. You can talk about when I played, but even before I played. There are guys back there where you could basically almost tackle a guy off the line of scrimmage … I don’t know how you can compare guys of my era to that era, and how he would have played in this era. And how does a guy like [Dan] Marino — (expletive) — how does he play in this era?”
Other Hall-of-Famer Takes
Opinions on whether Brady or Montana is the GOAT will differ among the game’s greats per Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio.
“I don’t think he’s the greatest quarterback of all time,” Bradshaw told 97.3 The Fan in 2020 via the New York Post’s Greg Joyce. “It’s hard to say. He may be the best quarterback we’ve had in the last 30 years. Is he better than [Roger] Staubach? No. Is he better than Dan Fouts? No. Dan Marino? No. I’m talking talent-wise when you’re putting all of it together.
“Does he have more Super Bowls than anybody? Yes. Therefore, he’s the best. I absolutely have no problem saying it. If you’ve got the most Super Bowls, you can be in there, but I don’t put anybody as the greatest of all time. … Is he better than Montana? Not in my opinion. Is he better than Drew Brees? Yeah, maybe.”
Montana’s favorite target, Hall of Fame wide receiver Jerry Rice, said Brady is the GOAT in 2020 but with a caveat per 95.7 The Game via Pro Football Talk’s Michael David Smith.
“I don’t have seven Super Bowl rings, but I think I played in an era when football was more of a contact sport. You’re seeing a lot of that now — players are protected,” Rice said on 95.7 The Game via Pro Football Talk. “When you have seven rings, you’re doing something right. I think with Brady, he still wants to play. He said something about playing until he’s 45. I think he can do it now in this league because players are so much more protected. So, yeah, he can have that GOAT status. I never wanted that status anyhow.”
Surpassed in Key Categories
Opinions aside, Brady definitely holds the numbers advantage over Montana with 10 Super Bowl appearances, seven Super Bowl wins, five Super Bowl MVPs, and many more career wins, passing yards, and touchdowns.
Montana made and won four Super Bowls, all with the San Francisco 49ers, in 16 seasons. He won 164 career games and threw for 40,551 yards and 273 touchdowns. He also won two regular season MVPs and three Super Bowl MVPs.
Brady, in 21 seasons, has thrown for 79,204 yards and 581 touchdowns. He has 230 career wins and three regular season MVPs.
The only major Montana mark Brady meet can’t is a perfect Super Bowl record.
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Joe Montana Fires Off Strong Comment on Tom Brady