Tom Brady retired in Feb. 2023, holding the NFL records for passing yards (89,214) and touchdown passes (649). He won seven Super Bowls and five Super Bowl MVP awards, cementing his resume as the most decorated quarterback in football history.
Now, he is two seasons into a 10-year, $375 million broadcasting contract with Fox Sports, where he calls NFC games with Kevin Burkhardt and Erin Andrews. He also owns minority stakes in the Las Vegas Raiders, the Las Vegas Aces, and Birmingham FC.
Mar 21, 2026; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Founders FFC quarterback Tom Brady (12) during the Fanatics Flag Football Classic at BMO stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
The majority of the NFL community considers Brady the undisputed greatest of all time. His legacy isn’t a conversation most people are willing to have, but ESPN’s Ryan Clark opened it anyway last September. And with Patrick Mahomes just signing the richest contract in NFL history this week, Clark’s old take has resurfaced with fresh bite.
Ryan Clark once called Patrick Mahomes a generational talent — but not Tom Brady
Ryan Clark did not call Brady, Brees, or Manning bad players. Instead, he argued that the “generational talent” crown belongs only to signal-callers with elite pre-draft physical traits and athletic creativity. By Clark’s definition, his list of generational quarterback talents included John Elway, Patrick Mahomes and Andrew Luck.
He said, “I think John Elway was a generational talent. I think Patrick Mahomes is a generational talent. I don’t think Tom Brady, I don’t think Drew Brees, I don’t think Peyton Manning are generational talents.”
𝗧𝗥𝗘𝗡𝗗𝗜𝗡𝗚: Ryan Clark says that Tom Brady, Drew Brees and Peyton Manning were NOT generational quarterbacks.
“I don’t think Tom Brady, I don’t think Drew Brees, I don’t think Peyton Manning are generational talents.”
One of the WORST takes ever 🤦♂️ pic.twitter.com/GAcsYpzmaF
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) June 13, 2026
Later on “The Pivot” podcast, Clark opened up about his hot take, saying, “When you go 199th overall, the talent piece of your generational talent piece is missing. But he’s the greatest of all-time.”
He acknowledged Brady’s GOAT status while holding firm that raw talent and greatness aren’t the same thing. Now the conversation has got a barrel of fresh fuel. On Wednesday, the Kansas City Chiefs signed Mahomes to a reworked contract extension through the 2033 season, with a total value of $504.75 million.
With this restructure, Mahomes remains the only player in NFL history with a total contract value exceeding half a billion dollars, keeping him ahead of Dallas Cowboys signal-caller Dak Prescott in average annual value. Clark’s generational talent, in other words, just became the highest-paid player in the history of professional football.
His overwhelming contract adds a new layer to the conversation. Brady famously won his seven Super Bowls while playing on team-friendly deals. Meanwhile, Mahomes has reset the quarterback market three times in six years.
This contrast doesn’t settle the debate over talent versus greatness, but it shows that the quarterback hierarchy is far more complicated than a short television clip suggests.
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