Of all the GOAT debates in sports, the easiest one comes from football, because there isn’t a debate at all. Tom Brady made the conversation an open-and-shut affair. There are no competition concerns, numbers to scrutinize, or “yeah, but”s to explore. The only mystery isn’t who the GOAT is, rather it’s how it ended up being the 199th pick of an NFL draft. Let’s explore what makes a skinny 6th round quarterback in the world’s most brutal sport the unequivocal greatest of all time. 

The Leader in Everything

It’s easy to start with statistics, and there’s no reason to bury the lede, so let’s begin there. The most important position in all of sports is, arguably, quarterback. There have been dozens of phenomenal quarterbacks in NFL history. What makes Tom Brady so unique is that he has more passing yards, passing touchdowns, 4th quarter comebacks, game-winning drives, regular season wins, postseason wins, Super Bowl victories, and Super Bowl MVPs than all of them. His 12 combined Super Bowl rings and Super Bowl MVPs are five more than any other player in NFL history. His Approximate Value–a statistic created by Pro Football Reference to estimate career value–is 49 more than any other player, which is greater than the difference between 2nd place and 9th place. He not only has the greatest career in history, but his 2007 regular season is arguably the greatest season in history. 

Impact on Winning

Brady’s career statistics are enough to end the debate, but there are several other angles that bolster his legacy. For instance, Brady’s impact on winning is unrivaled in the sport. Bill Belichick is often included on the Mount Rushmore of NFL head coaches, and rightfully so. Belichick has a record six Super Bowl victories as a head coach, and appeared in a record nine Super Bowls. However, Belichick owes quite a bit to Brady for his success. Belichick’s career regular season record without Brady is 83-104 (.444). With Brady? Well things look a little sunnier at 219-64 (.774). Belichick’s career playoff record without Brady stands at just 1-2 (.333). Again, with Brady, that record balloons to 30-11 (.732). Certainly, there was some mutualism between Brady and Belichick in New England, but Belichick was unsuccessful in three NFL stints without Brady. Brady without Belichick? This is where Brady’s legacy reaches the land beyond the land of the absurd. Brady left New England to be the starting quarterback for Tampa Bay in 2020. Tampa had not made the playoffs in the previous 12 seasons, and carried a 7-9 record in 2019. In Brady’s first season without Belichick, he was the MVP of the Super Bowl! Brady would go on to lead the Bucs to the playoffs in all three of his seasons in Tampa, and did so in his mid-40s. Brady’s career regular season without Belichick is 32-18 (.640), and his playoff record is 5-2 (.714). It is rare in sports that we get to see such a definitive conclusion on the relative importance of a single player as we’ve been able to see with Brady. His massive success with and without Belichick, and with and without the Patriots and Bucs, combined with Belichick and Tampa’s poor records without Brady shows just how instrumental Brady was to his winning endeavors.

Sustained Excellence

Brady’s massive statistical ledger and his impact on winning are more than enough to close the book on this debate, but there’s more. Brady’s sustained excellence is only rivaled by LeBron James in the history of professional sports. Brady led the NFL in passing yards in his 20s, 30s, and 40s. He did the same with touchdowns. He won multiple Super Bowls in his 20s, 30s, and 40s. As a starting quarterback, Brady was 70-24 (.745) in his 20s, 113-28 (.801) in his 30s, and 68-30 (.694) in his 40s. There are only three quarterbacks in history besides Brady who won two Super Bowls with at least a .694 career winning %, and Brady accomplished that in his 20s, 30s, and 40s. 

Brady’s sustained excellence shows up even more if we move beyond the fact that he’s the all time leader in so many categories, and explore just how big his margin is over second place in those categories. His 10 Super Bowl appearances are four more than any other player. His 251 regular season wins are 65 more than any other player. The difference between Brady and 2nd place is the same as the difference between 2nd and 12th place. Brady’s regular season win total is twice as many as all but 8 quarterbacks in NFL history. Brady’s 35 playoff wins are more than double any other quarterback in history. He has twice as many passing yards as all but 18 quarterbacks, and twice as many passing touchdowns as all but 12.

The Sneaky O.G.

Perhaps most underexplored on Brady’s resume is how effective he was with his feet. Yes, the player in NFL history that you’d pick last in a 40-yard dash competition is arguably the greatest short yardage QB of all-time. Brady’s 124 conversions on third or fourth-and-1 are the most since 2000. His 90.5% conversion rate is the 2nd highest in that same timeframe. Brady’s 238 career rushing first downs are more than Peyton Manning and Drew Brees combined. He’s 18th on the postseason list for rushing touchdowns, including running backs! The most unstoppable weapon in the NFL today is the Brotherly Shove. It’s just under 90% success rate is so effective that owners considered banning the play following the 2024-25 regular season. Long before the Eagles perfected short yardage conversions, Tom Brady had the art of the quarterback sneak mastered at an even higher success rate. Brady’s 5.24 40-yard-dash didn’t win him many footraces, but nothing deflates a defense more than an “and short” conversion, and Brady did it better than anyone.  

That’s a wrap. 

If we had the ability to create an NFL player with 99s in every category, that player would be hard-pressed to duplicate Tom Brady’s career accomplishments. He isn’t just first in everything, he’s first in everything by a lot. He didn’t just win more than anyone, he left no doubt as to who was most responsible for it. He didn’t just play longer than anyone, he sustained excellence at a level that is unheard of in professional sports. Brady didn’t just kill Super Bowl dreams, he killed the GOAT debate. Thanks, Tom!