Seven-time Super Bowl winner Tom Brady is widely regarded as the NFL ‘GOAT’ (Image: Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
icon Jerry Rice has given Tom Brady the ultimate compliment by lauding him as the greatest of all time – a title that Rice was officially given himself. The San Francisco 49ers hero enjoyed a stellar career that lasted 20 years in which he won three Super Bowl titles and was named first-team All-Pro an impressive 10 times.
In 2010, thanks to the 10-part television series ‘The Top 100: NFL’s Greatest Players’, Rice was officially named the greatest NFL player of all time. The series, presented by the NFL Network, aimed to determine the top 100 greatest NFL players ever, with a list compiled by a panel that included former NFL coaches, players, executives and media members.
The list featured both current players and retirees and among all the top talent that’s graced America’s most popular sport, it was Rice earned the number one spot. He was chosen ahead of Cleveland Browns legend Jim Brown who was ranked second.
In addition to the respect Brady commands from his colleagues, he certainly has all the achievements needed to build a case for being the greatest of all time. Besides his record-breaking seven Super Bowl titles, he’s been named MVP in five of those season-ending games while acquiring three regular-season MVPs under his belt across his 23-year career.
Another record he possesses is the most Pro Bowl selections in NFL history at 15 and was a six-time All Pro during his career, with three of those selections being first-team. While Rice did concede his illustrious title to Brady, he pointed out that today’s generation of players enjoy more protection than he did during his playing days, which spanned from 1985 to 2004.
By 2010, Brady was already 10 years deep into his career and had already equalled Rice’s three Super Bowl victories and was ranked 21st in the list. After the 47-year-old clinched his seventh championship with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Mississippi native happily conceded his GOAT title to the iconic quarterback.
The 62-year-old has the most receiving yards and touchdowns of any wide receiver in NFL history (Image: Getty)
“When you got seven rings, you’re doing something right,” he confessed to 95.7 The Game in 2021. “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.”
The year 2010 was a special one for the San Francisco 49ers great who also secured entry into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, with his 22,895 receiving yards and 197 receiving touchdowns far surpassing his closest rivals in Terrell Owens and Randy Moss.