Is Tom Brady the GOAT?

Tom Brady has more Super Bowls than any other NFL team, let alone any other player. He is the greatest and most successful football player to play the game.

At the age of 43, Tom Brady won his seventh Super Bowl during his first year with the Buccaneers, and during that Super Bowl run, defeated Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers, and Patrick Mahomes. He continues to prove again and again why he is on top.

Tom Brady continues to be successful ever since he took over the starting job in New England. He led the Patriots to become the most dominant team in the league for years. In addition, he did not disappoint in his first year on the Buccaneers. No one can parallel him in stats. To add on to his Super Bowl records, he holds the records for both all time passing yards as well as all time passing touchdowns.

Blake Malick, writer of The Current, states that “In his career, Tom Brady has made 10 Super Bowl appearances in 20 years. This means half of his seasons have ended in the Super Bowl. To put this into perspective, Brady has more Super Bowl appearances than 31 of 32 NFL teams.” Tom Brady may not be the most mobile or the most talented quarterback ever, but he knows the game and knows how to win.

Despite the circumstances, Tom Brady finds a way to win. He will outhink you and outplay you. The best example of this is the Patriots Super Bowl comeback against the Falcons in Super Bowl LI. Tom and the Pats were down 28-3 late in the third quarter before staging an iconic comeback to secure the Lombardi trophy. Brady was near perfect as he overcame the 25 point deficit and led his team to a 34-28 victory in overtime. “To put the Patriots’ comeback in perspective, the previous Super Bowl record for largest comeback was just 10 points.” (John Breech, CBS sports writer)

However, this isn’t to say that Tom Brady is all clutch. He lost two Super Bowls to Eli Manning and the New York Giants as well as one Super Bowl to the Philadelphia Eagles. In all of these games, Brady’s opponents were underdogs. Despite this, he has still won 70% of his Super Bowl appearances as well as five Super Bowl MVPs.

Age hasn’t affected Tom Brady at all. He is consistent on making the playoffs and putting up good numbers. In 2020, he threw for 40 touchdowns and over 4500 passing yards. That was at age 43! His years of experience only add to his ability to perform. He does not look to be held down by his age in any way and could likely play into his late 40s. “The ageless wonder continues to outwork, outshine, and outwin everybody at age 44.” (Mike Thomas, Sportscasting Staff Writer)

There are arguments that could be made that show why Brady may have an advantage. A major reason why Tom Brady continues to be able to play at his age is because of the era that he lives in. This era has several penalties put in place to protect quarterbacks from getting injured. Back in the day of Montana and other greats, this was not the case. The brutal hits that these quarterbacks absorbed resulted in countless injuries and less playing time on the field. Although there is now incentive for a lineman to not deck the quarterback, it still happens on occasion. Even though big hits may be less common nowadays, the ability to evade them should still go on Brady’s list of achievements. He avoids the big hits and keeps himself in good playing condition.

Brady has done what many would think not possible in a single player’s career. He started as a 6th round draft pick, destined to sit the bench for the entirety of his career. Instead, he rose to greatness and beyond, putting up unimaginable numbers. To top it off, he’s still going. At age 44, Brady retains the ability to play at an elite level as the Buccaneers look to make another playoff run.

Tom Brady defied the odds for decades. He achieved feats that we will likely never see again, or at least not for a long, long time. At the end of the day, this debate is over. Tom Brady is the GOAT of football.