When it comes to the NFL's GOAT - or Greatest Of All Time - debate, the talk between Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers often heats up. Even though Rodgers has only won one Super Bowl compared to Brady's seven, and Brady's Buccaneers beat Rodgers' Packers in the 2021 NFC Championship game, pundits often disrespect Brady in the GOAT regard.
According to Brady's best friend and Patriots' legendary receiver Julian Edelman, enough is enough.
Edelman, who often referrers to Super Bowl LI as "one hell of a story," - which it was - recently took to The Herd to squash any debate that might be existing between Brady and Rodgers, as the latter enters what appears to be his final season.
"You can’t even put those guys in the same sentence, because we didn’t know it was Tom Brady’s last year. When it was [Brady's] last year, he didn’t want the distraction of that. He wanted to go out and play his best possible football that he could play the last year of his career without making it a distraction. Now, we know it’s [Rodgers’] last year — we’ve heard that before.”
There is no comparison between Brady and Rodgers - for multiple reasons
Brady's numbers speak for themselves; there's no question about it. He grew from an unheralded backup who led a surprise Patriots' team to their first Super Bowl championship to the greatest quarterback to ever play this game.
Seven Super Bowl championships and 10 Super Bowl appearances undoubtedly have Brady head and shoulders above Rodgers. Rodgers may have more MVP trophies (four to Brady's two), but Rodgers' teams have flopped in the postseason more often than Brady's.
It's also fair to account that Brady has had less "off the field drama" in his career, save for the DeflateGate saga. As great a quarterback as Rodgers has been, his final years in Green Bay and unimpressive tenure with the Jets were saddled with injuries, drama with teammates, and all-too-often appearances on far-conservative talk shows and podcasts.
Entering what could be his final season, Rodgers is most certainly the third-best quarterback in his own division, behind Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow. Brady's Buccaneers, at least, won their division in Brady's final season, while Rodgers' Steelers will be lucky if they make the playoffs this season. There's already drama swirling in Pittsburgh around T.J. Watt's contract.
Edelman is right. It's time to quell the Brady-Rodgers comparisons. Brady's longevity and class on and off the field, in addition to his numbers, put him far above Rodgers.
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