The never-ending debate on who is the GOAT (common parlance for “greatest of all time”) NFL quarterback has been settled — at least for now. Seven-time Super Bowl winner Tom Brady, who announced his retirement last week, holds that distinction, according to U.S. adults and NFL fans in a new Morning Consult survey.
Brady was selected as the best QB ever in resounding fashion among self-identified NFL fans, 32 percentage points ahead of the runner-up, San Francisco 49ers Hall of Famer Joe Montana.
But Brady’s GOAT status does not extend to all sports. NBA legend Michael Jordan has the quarterback beat as the greatest athlete of all time, per the survey.
The state of the Brady brand
Brady is the highest-paid NFL player ever, according to Sportico, which estimated the 45-year-old accumulated $550 million in career earnings, including more than $200 million in marketing deals and off-field endeavors.
He continues to draw attention for his athleisure clothing line, Brady Brand. Though his investment in cryptocurrency firm FTX — for which he appeared in Super Bowl LVI advertisements — will likely be wiped out amid the company’s bankruptcy proceedings.
Brady’s public profile may lessen, albeit briefly, as he unwinds over the next 18-plus months. After that, he’s set to reappear in the public eye when he joins the Fox Sports broadcast team in the fall of 2024 as the network’s lead NFL analyst. It will be virtually impossible for his second career to live up to the highs of his first, but Brady has been counted out before.
The Feb. 4-5, 2023, survey was conducted among a representative sample of 2,203 U.S. adults, with an unweighted margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points.
ncG1vNJzZmiooqR7rrvRp6Cnn5Oku7TBy61lnKedZLavv9Oapa1lmaPBpriOn5inq12orrp506ikZpqilrG6ecGeqq1loaqus8DEq5mam5tiu7DAjKCpnpmkmsC1ec6fZJqknGLBqrnEZpitoJyawaY%3D