Tom Brady has raised eyebrows when he omitted Aaron Rodgers from his discussions about the NFL’s greatest quarterbacks, both past and present. The exclusion happened twice, prompting speculation and curiosity among fans and media.
During the “True Grit” panel at Fanaticsfest, host Stephen A. Smith asked Brady to name some of the quarterbacks he admired throughout his career and those excelling in the league today.
Brady cited several of the sport’s legends, including Peyton Manning, Ben Roethlisberger, Drew Brees, Phillip Rivers, Joe Montana, and Steve Young.
Rodgers‘ name, however, was left out of Brady‘s recounting. Later, when discussing his top five quarterbacks currently playing in the NFL, Brady listed Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, and Joe Burrow, but intriguingly stopped short of naming a fifth, once again leaving Rodgers unmentioned.
Brady’s comment on Rodgers
Noticing the omission, Smith addressed the situation, responding to murmurs from the audience. Brady, acknowledging the oversight, commented that he was particularly interested in seeing how Rodgers would fare in his new role with the Jets.
“I’m very interested to see how Aaron comes back and performs this year,” Brady said.
“You know, how dedicated and committed he is to being a great quarterback. A year off, I believe that it would be very motivating for him to do that.
“Brady went on to emphasize that it’s ultimately up to the players themselves to prove their greatness on the field.
“But, again, that’s why they go play. At the end of the day, it’s going to be up to them to go out there and prove to us, right or wrong, whether our decisions or judgments or hypotheses about them are right.”