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Edelman: Tom Brady Should Get Michael Jordan Treatment If Bucs Win Super Bowl
February 7, 2021
In the eyes of former teammate Julian Edelman, Tom Brady should be synonymous with winning.
"I think he has to start being talked about like [Michael] Jordan," Edelman said on NFL Network (via the Boston Herald's Karen Guregian). "Like this guy's the Tom Brady of tennis, this guy's the Tom Brady of swimming. It's so hard to win the Super Bowl. It's so hard to win one. If you go out and win seven, it's unreal.
"The guy has played in, what, 48 percent of his career has been in the Super Bowl? That's outrageous."
If he isn't yet, Brady will be considered by many to be the greatest player in NFL history when he finally retires.
He's a six-time Super Bowl champion, three-time MVP and 14-time Pro Bowler. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers' trip to Super Bowl LV also showed the 43-year-old can excel away from New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick—not that that should've been a legitimate question.
Because of that, Brady has already set a standard for others to follow. Some view Sunday's game as a referendum on whether Kansas City Chiefs star Patrick Mahomes can eventually supersede Brady as the best ever.
Edelman discussed that dynamic:
"I'll tell you right now, I'll bet he's heard that. I bet you that motivates him for this week. But that's the ridiculous thing about this whole thing. He's gone for 22 years, whatever year he's on, and can still be so motivated. He can be that same guy, every day, coming to work, motivated. That's the kind of stuff this guy eats for breakfast. He loves proving people wrong. It's an extraordinary thing, I mean, this guy is 43 years old.
The trouble with football is that it's tough to compare Brady to other sports legends because one player can only impact the game so much. For example, Jordan was not only a 10-time NBA scoring champion but also made nine All-Defensive teams. He dominated on both ends of the court, whereas Brady obviously never played defense.
Drawing comparisons between team and individual sports is difficult as well. Is what Brady has achieved more impressive than Michael Phelps winning 23 gold medals across four Summer Olympics? Did Brady capture the imagination the same way Tiger Woods did in the early 2000s?
At least when it comes to the quarterback position, Brady is undoubtedly the star against which future generations will be measured.