When Do You Think Tom Brady Officially Earned G O A T Status

Bonisiwe Shabane

-Dec 10, 2025, 7:20 AM

when do you think tom brady officially earned g o a t status

Tom Brady retired on Tuesday, ending in one fell swoop a week of speculation over his future and one of the greatest NFL careers of all time — if not the greatest. It's no hyperbole to consider Brady among the game's greatest players — indeed, one of the greatest athletes in American sports history. He has put together arguably three Hall of Fame careers — one in his 20s, one in his 30s and another, somehow, in his 40s — and has achieved more in his 22 years... MORE: Tom Brady retires the undisputed NFL GOAT: Why there will never be a 'Next Tom Brady' Hence, Brady is often referred to as the "GOAT." But what does that mean? The Sporting News is here to answer that question.

No, Brady being the "GOAT" does not mean he is a hooved barnyard animal — it merely is an acronym for "Greatest Of All Time." That description is pretty apt for Brady, considering not... GLENDALE, Ariz. – The greatest quarterback in NFL history? That answer is pretty clear now. Brady eviscerated a vaunted Seattle defense when it mattered most (he was literally perfect), threw four touchdowns and became the third quarterback in NFL history to capture four Super Bowls as the Patriots defeated... Joe Montana and Terry Bradshaw have some company, but Brady may be in a class of his own.

A late interception by Russell Wilson may have made the rising Seahawks star the goat and Brady the G.O.A.T. While Montana and Bradshaw scored perfect 4-0 records in the league’s biggest game, Sunday’s Super Bowl XLIX was Brady’s sixth attempt at a Vince Lombardi Trophy. G.O.A.T- Greatest of All Time. This word will be linked with 44-year-old Tom Brady until the end of time. Tom Brady announced his retirement of 22 years on February 1st. He finished his career with seven Super Bowl rings, five Super Bowl MVPs, and three regular season MVPs.

The list could go on and on about how many accolades he has received in his lustrous career. Brady has meant a lot to the sport of football. What Brady has done the past two years have changed the way teams view the quarterback position. The National Football League (NFL) has always been a copycat league, so once they saw the success the Buccaneers had by upgrading the quarterback position, others followed. Two teams that followed this concept are the Los Angeles Rams and Indianapolis Colts. Currently, the Rams are competing in this year’s Super Bowl.

“It is sad to see him go but also it is a relief. He has been dominating for a while. I’d rather watch different teams playing in the Super Bowl,” junior Alex Figueroa said. Brady has participated in 10 Super Bowls in the last 22 years. This has never been done before. “The moment I will remember the most is when he came back after being down 28-3 in the Super Bowl,” Figueroa said.

This would be the largest comeback in a Super Bowl. This championship made him the player with the most rings in the history of the sport. NFL quarterback Tom Brady’s retirement and NBA basketball player LeBron James breaking Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s longstanding scoring record have sparked renewed discussions and analyses of the G.O.A.T. (Greatest of All Time). It’s hard to turn on a sports station without avoiding such discussions. The problem is not only in defining what’s meant by “G.O.A.T.” but adjusting for factors that over time influence performance and playing statistics.

This is where economics helps. There are entire subdisciplines within economics dedicated to understanding the influence and power of rules and how they affect behaviour and performance over time. Moreover, economists are constantly adjusting data from nominal values to “real” values to account for the effects of inflation over time, so we’re well-versed in thinking about how to make adjustments to reflect changes... Let’s start with the discussion of Tom Brady as the G.O.A.T. in professional football and for comparative purposes, let’s stack Brady against three other highly successful quarterbacks: Terry Bradshaw of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Joe Montana of the San Francisco 49ers (and later the Kansas City... Starr played from 1956 to 1971 and won three consecutive league championships and the first two Super Bowls.

In 16 professional seasons, he won five championships, resulting in a championship win ratio of 31.3 per cent. Terry Bradshaw played 14 seasons from 1970 to 1983 and won four Super Bowls, resulting in a win ratio of 28.6 per cent. Montana played 16 seasons from 1979 to 1994, winning four Super Bowls for a win ratio of 25.0 per cent. Brady won seven Super Bowls over 23 seasons, resulting in a win ratio of 30.4 per cent, slightly less than Starr and just ahead of Bradshaw. This is not to diminish Brady’s record of championships but rather to emphasize that to some extent his success winning championships is a result of a longer career. As medicine and sports science more generally have advanced, the length of athletes’ careers have been extended so analyses need to be careful about conflating longevity and performance, particularly with respect to career statistics...

An all-time great finally hung up the cleats You can't think of football and not think about Tom Brady. After 22 seasons, the G.O.A.T. has officially announced he is retiring from the NFL. The 44-year-old finishes off his illustrious career as pretty much the all-time leader in every major stat, including (of course), his seven Super Bowl rings. The name 'Tom Brady' and 'Football' are synonymous with each other and the mark he left on the game of football is undeniable.

As NFL fans around the world either rejoice or mourn over the retirement of this legend, it's important that we take time to look over the insane career the G.O.A.T. had over his 22 seasons. In the 2000 NFL Draft, the New England Patriots selected quarterback Tom Brady from the University of Michigan. He was the seventh quarterback selected. This didn't come as much of a shock at the time. While Brady did have a good stint at Michigan, he didn't wow anyone in his NFL combine.

In fact, he recorded one of the worst combines ever for a quarterback. Brady started the 2000 season as the fourth-string quarterback behind Drew Bledsoe but by the end of the season, he moved up the depth chart to be the second-string and official backup to Bledsoe. Brady waited patiently for his chance to prove himself, and it was coming sooner than anyone expected. After Bledsoe suffered a gruesome injury in Week 2 of the 2001 season that would end his year, it was Brady's time to shine. While it didn't start off great right away for Brady, he found his stride to deliver the first 'Brady-esqe' performance of his career in Week 5. Trailing the San Diego Chargers 26-16 in the fourth quarter, he led the Patriots on two scoring drives to force overtime, and another in overtime to set up the game winning field goal.

In 2001, Brady led his Patriots to a 11-5 record while winning his first of many AFC East division titles. He performed well during New England's playoff run, with tough victories over the Oakland Raiders and the Pittsburgh Steelers to help secure a trip to the Super Bowl. Against the heavily favoured Rams, the Patriots performed well, holding a 17-3 lead until the Rams rallied back to tie the game with 1:30 left in regulation. This is where the first chapter of Brady's legendary career began. The Patriots got the ball back at their own 17-yard line with no timeouts remaining. Sportscaster and NFL icon John Madden argued that the Patriots should just run down the clock and try to win the game in overtime.

Instead, Brady drove the Patriots' offence down the field to set up the game winning Adam Vinatieri field-goal. Brady secured his first of many Super Bowl rings and Super Bowl MVPs while also becoming the youngest quarterback ever at the time to win a Super Bowl. Congratulations to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on winning Super Bowl LV. From Tom Brady to Bruce Arians to Devin White to Todd Bowles and more, the Bucs were a pretty easy team to like and be happy for. To be clear, Tampa Bay was an awesome team with stars all over the field, and winning a championship is not about just one player. But this article focuses on Brady, who the entire Buccaneers organization will say raised the level of everyone and everything when he joined them last year.

In recent years, the tide has seemingly turned in favor of public opinion holding Brady in very high regard, partly because it’s been impossible to deny his excellence and partly because it’s hard not... Growing up as an Eagles fan, there was even a stretch where I didn’t like him; then there was some moment where he got a first down or something during a game and was... Brady has probably won a lot of people over through the years, and he isn’t someone you doubt. After winning ring No. 7, it’s not crazy to think he might actually win No. 8, No.

9, or No. 10. He defies age and gets better with more experience, thanks to his unmatched commitment, the TB12 Method, and his past-master-level mental ability. After Brady’s fourth Super Bowl title I thought he was the greatest athlete ever, and his fifth championship in the stunning 28-3 comeback set it in stone for me; since then, Brady has added... You don’t need me to elaborate on how mind-blowing all this stuff is by writing a long piece—this isn’t about a writer, it’s about Brady—so I’m just going to dive right into some of... His seven Super Bowl wins is more than any NFL franchise.

Brady switched conferences, adjusted to a new city, coaches, and teammates during a pandemic, and won a championship in his first season with his new team.

When Do You Think Tom Brady Officially Earned G O A T Status

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