It’s always controversial when someone tries to argue that an active athlete is the GOAT. LeBron might be the best player in NBA history, but try making that argument and you’ll get mocked by Michael Jordan fans. Same goes for Tom Brady, who is going for his fifth Super Bowl win on Sunday. He may be the greatest, but that opinion is bound to get more eye rolls that fist bumps.
Unless, of course, an NFL legend is making it. Someone who’s been around the game for decades, played it themselves, and in some cases, is a member of the Hall of Fame, has credibility. So when they say Brady’s the GOAT you better listen. And this week, a lot of legends are saying just that.
Troy Aikman
The Cowboys great, who’s in the Hall of Fame and has three Super Bowl rings, has always seen Joe Montana as the greatest signal caller in the history of the game. But this week, his opinion changed. “What is it, 11 championship games? Six Super Bowl appearances? And now his seventh? An incredible number of playoff wins? I think you’d be hard-pressed not to name him as the greatest now regardless of what happens on Sunday,” he said.
Boomer Esiason
He may not have had the career of Aikman, but Boomer was a stud for a few years in the late 80s. For him, Sunday’s result doesn’t matter. “He’s the greatest of all time. I don’t care what anyone says,” he said. “I don’t care about Deflategate, Spygate, I don’t care about any of that stuff. I just look at what a guy does on the field when he’s on the field.”
Joe Theismann
With more than 25,000 passing yards and 160 TDs, Theismann knows a bit about playing quarterback in the NFL. He also knows that Brady “is the greatest quarterback to ever play the game of professional football.”
Tom Brady is the greatest quarterback of all-time according to Joe Theismann (@Theismann7). pic.twitter.com/ZM1AFr9qa1
— Herd w/Colin Cowherd (@TheHerd) January 31, 2017
Ray Lewis
The longtime Ravens linebacker and obstructor of justice played against Brady and described him this week as “the most basic quarterback you’ve ever seen.” It was a compliment, which is clear when you see that Lewis also said, “People can hate on him, y’all can be mad at him, but he’s the best quarterback we’ve ever seen.”
Jimmy Johnson
The one-time Cowboys coach with two Super Bowl rings says that when it comes to great QBs, there’s no debate who’s number one. “I think Tom Brady’s the greatest quarterback to ever play in the league. If you look at the records, they back it up,” he said.
Brett Favre
The Packers legend and amateur dick photographer didn’t go as far as the rest of these guys, but he says Brady is on the verge of G.O.A.T. status if he can notch one more W on Sunday. “I think if Tom wins this game, and I never thought I’d say this, he surpasses Joe Montana as the greatest ever,” he said.