There’s no denying the fact that the name Tom Brady has made in the NFL is unbeatable. The star quarterback impressed everyone throughout his 23-year career and is everyone’s hero even after retirement. However, there are people with different opinions as well, and former quarterback Joe Montana is one of them. 

The former San Francisco 49ers star recently revealed who he thinks is the NFL GOAT. Everyone was expecting him to name NFL legend Tom Brady, but Montana surprised everyone. He named Hall of Famer Dan Marino as the GOAT in the NFL. 

“He had a quick release, I had to step into a lot of things to get enough [force] on the ball… Put Marino into today’s game where he gets free release… and his receivers, holy cow, weren’t very big… I think [Marino] is probably one of the most unsung heroes of the game,” he said. 

The Pro Football Hall of Famer’s words soon went viral. After that, fans filled the comments section of the posts with mixed reactions. There were some people who agreed with Montana. However, considering Brady’s fan following, most people questioned his choice. 

One fan wrote, “Is Joe Montana jealous or does he have a fair point”. Another one commented, “Montana keeps changing this… he said Brady was the GOAT a couple years ago”. Another fan wrote, “Bro is hating… but has a point”. Another fan cheekily wrote, “Everyone has an opinion… even if it is misguided… sorry Joe… I got to disagree with you on this”. Another one wrote, “Seems like he is jealous of Brady”. 

The comments make it clear that Tom Brady is the obvious GOAT according to fans. However, as everyone has a different perspective, Montana might be right in his own way. 

Tom Brady vs. Dan Marino: Comparing the numbers

Tom Brady and Dan Marino were both stars of their own era. The New England Patriots star began his career in 2000, the year when Marino announced retirement. The two played in two completely different periods. But, as always people keep comparing players irrespective of the era they played in. 

Brady stayed with the Patriots for 20 years, leading the team to 6 Super Bowl wins. After that, he shifted to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and won 1 Super Bowl for them. Throughout his career, Tom Brady completed 7,753 out of his 12,050 passing attempts. He recorded 649 touchdowns and 212 interceptions for 89,214 yards. 

Dan Marino began his career with the Miami Dolphins in 1983 and played all 17 seasons with them. The star quarterback was a 9-time Pro Bowl but didn’t win even a single Super Bowl. Marino made 8,358 passing attempts in his career out of which 4967 were successful. He had 420 TDs along with 252 interceptions for 61,361 yards. 

As per the career stats, Tom Brady is much ahead of Marino. The 15-time Pro Bowl has achieved what no one has been able to till now. However, now that he has retired, it’ll be worth watching if a new NFL superstar emerges or not.