After winning seven Super Bowls over the course of his 23-year career, it’s safe to say that Tom Brady knows a lot about what it takes to play quarterback in the NFL. Brady knows more about playing the position than almost anyone alive, so it was very interesting to hear what he had to say during a recent interview where he was asked which active NFL quarterbacks he enjoys watching.
During an appearance on the Stick To Football podcast, Brady made one thing clear: He’s definitely a fan of Aaron Rodgers. According to Brady, the Steelers quarterback is the best pure passer in NFL history.
“I think there’s no greater passer of the football than Aaron Rodgers,” Brady said. “I mean there’s certain people and you’re like ‘Holy.’ You see everyone do it and then you see one person throw the ball that much better. Aaron Rodgers was incredible.”
And now, let’s watch a Rodgers highlight that puts his arm talent on display.
Rodgers doesn’t have as many Super Bowl rings as Brady, but when it comes to pure talent, the four-time MVP will likely go down as one of the best to ever play the game.
“Hard to put into words how incredible he passes the ball,” Brady said of Rodgers. “The ball, the way it comes out of his hand, the way that it spins and delivers with the pace and with the accuracy. There’s only probably three people in the history of the NFL that could do it like him.”
This isn’t the first time that Brady has crowned Rodgers as the best pure passer ever. He also did it back in September, so it’s pretty clear that Brady holds the 42-year-old quarterback in high regard.
There also seem to be a few other quarterbacks that Brady holds in a high regard, so let’s check out his list.
Brady’s favorite quarterbacks to watch play
Although Brady thinks highly of Rodgers’ arm talent, the Steelers QB didn’t make the cut when the NFL legend was asked about which current quarterbacks he likes watching the most on the field. As a broadcaster for Fox over the past two seasons, Brady has had the chance to watch almost every quarterback in the NFL.
So, who does Brady enjoy watching the most?
“I love watching all of them, probably for different reasons,” Brady said.
That’s a cop-out, Tom, you can’t say you like “all of them.”
Although he started by giving a diplomatic answer, Brady eventually revealed the six quarterbacks he enjoys watching most.
“I love watching Patrick Mahomes and Matt Stafford, they’re just tremendous,” Brady said. “Jared Goff, I like watching. Very different player than me, but Lamar Jackson, I don’t know how he does it. I love watching Josh Allen play. I love watching Joe Burrow play.”
And that’s the list.
The biggest surprise on Brady’s list might be Goff, but it’s easy to see why Brady appreciates his game. The Lions quarterback has a similar style to Brady: They both play from the pocket, they both process the game quickly and they both have impressive accuracy.
Goff is coming off a season where he threw for 4,564 yards and 34 touchdowns. This marks the fourth time in his career that he’s thrown for at least 4,500 yards and 30+ touchdowns, which is the fourth-most in NFL history behind only Drew Brees (eight times), Brady (seven times) and Peyton Manning (six times).
The other five players on Brady’s list aren’t really surprising at all: Four of them have won at least one MVP award and the one that hasn’t (Burrow) has been to two AFC title games and a Super Bowl in the past five years.
Back in 2024, Brady was actually asked to rank his top five active quarterbacks and the list from two years ago looks pretty similar to the list he rattled off this week.
Brady’s 2024 top-5
1. Patrick Mahomes (Chiefs)
2. Josh Allen (Bills)
3. Lamar Jackson (Ravens)
4. Joe Burrow (Bengals)
5. Aaron Rodgers (Jets)
If Brady were asked to redo this ranking today, his top four would probably look the same, but it would be interesting to see how he handled the fifth spot.
Another thing Brady would like people to know is that he’s 100% retired. During his podcast appearance, Brady was asked if he would ever return to the field, and he gave a simple one-word answer.
“No.”
With Brady officially done, that means he’ll be eligible for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2028, so we can probably go ahead and start the countdown to his induction.
