Joe Montana's Jersey from 2 Super Bowl Wins Sells for $1.2M, Tops Tom Brady's Record

Joe Montana has a leg up on Tom Brady in the memorabilia department when his jersey from two Super Bowl victories sold at auction this week.

Per ESPN's Dan Hajducky, Montana's No. 16 San Francisco 49ers jersey from Super Bowl 19 and 23 sold for a record $1.212 million including the buyer's premium.

"Montana was already in rarefied air with four championship rings and three Super Bowl MVPs—[and] with the record-breaking sale of his Super Bowl XXIII jersey, Montana has surpassed Tom Brady on top of that mountain." Ken Goldin of Goldin Auctions, which handled the sale, told Hajducky.

The previous record for a game-worn jersey was Brady's with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the 2020 season. It sold for $480,000 including the buyer's premium. The jersey was from Tampa's 44-27 win over the Atlanta Falcons on Jan. 3, 2021, when he threw for 399 yards and four touchdowns.

Brady signed the jersey and inscribed "G.O.A.T." on it.

According to Hajducky, Montana's wife, Jennifer, pulled the jersey from a scrapbook and packed it in his bag leading up to Super Bowl 23 with a note: "Maybe you want to wear it again."

Montana was named Super Bowl MVP and threw for 331 yards with three touchdowns in a 38-16 win over the Miami Dolphins in Super Bowl 19.

Super Bowl 23 is one of the most famous games in NFL history. The 49ers defeated the Cincinnati Bengals, 20-16, thanks to Montana's 10-yard touchdown pass to John Taylor with 34 seconds remaining.

The touchdown capped off a 12-play, 92-yard scoring drive that took two minutes, 30 seconds. It has since come to be known as "The Drive."

Even though Jerry Rice was named MVP of that game, Montana set a then-Super Bowl record with 357 passing yards.

At the time he retired after the 1994 season, Montana and Terry Bradshaw were tied for the most Super Bowl wins among starting quarterbacks in NFL history (four). Brady surpassed that mark with seven during his 23-year career.