5 reasons why Tom Brady is the greatest player in NFL history

Following the Super Bowl LV victory, Tom Brady was asked by Gisele Bundchen, his wife, a Brazilian model, what more he had to prove.

Brady just hugged her and quickly changed the subject. He knows he's got nothing to prove, but he wants to keep playing until he can't.

There's no doubt that Brady is the greatest player of all time. For everything he has done since entering the league as a 6th-round pick for the New England Patriots in 2000, the quarterback will be remembered as the best to ever step onto the field for many decades to come.

As he braces for his second season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers hoping to lead his team to become the first back-to-back champion since the New England Patriots (led by Brady) did so in 2003-04, we can only appreciate everything Brady has done during his career and enjoy his last years until his retirement inevitably comes.

Gisele Bündchen to Tom Brady after Super Bowl LV win: "What more do you have to prove?"https://t.co/HrvBqamhre pic.twitter.com/8G7aJdqMof

— Around The NFL (@AroundTheNFL) March 3, 2021

Here are (only) five reasons why Brady is the best NFL player, although there are many more than only five.

#1 - More rings than any other player

When Brady won his fourth Super Bowl ring after beating the Seattle Seahawks, he tied with Joe Montana and Terry Bradshaw for most Super Bowl rings by a quarterback. When he beat the Atlanta Falcons and got his fifth, he tied with Charles Haley as the player with the most Super Bowl rings with five. Brady now has seven, and counting.

Think about all the great players in NFL history who never won the Super Bowl because of how difficult it is. Now think about how Brady won the final seven times, and let's not even talk about the other three Super Bowls he lost with the Patriots.

Super Bowl LI - New England Patriots v Atlanta Falcons

In 19 seasons as a starter in the NFL, the quarterback has reached the big game in more than 50% of them, nine times in New England and the most recent with Tampa Bay. Having Brady on the roster is almost a guarantee of a playoff run.

Oh, and Brady has more Super Bowl wins than any franchise in NFL history. You read that right.

#2 - The oldest quarterback ever to win a Super Bowl

Brady was coming off a season where everybody believed he was washed up and there was no way he was going to recover from a dreadful 2019 season with a melancholic finish in the Wild Card Round.

Brady and Bill Belichick couldn't find an agreement for a new contract and, for the first time in his 20-year career, Brady reached free agency. He chose the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, a team away from cold temperatures and an interesting young offensive core.

In a season of ups-and-downs during the first months, Brady and the Buccaneers clicked at the right time, winning eight straight games en route to winning the second Super Bowl in franchise history and Brady's seventh ring at 43 years old, by far the oldest quarterback to start the big game.

#3 - Most games won by a quarterback ever

This is an easy one, as Brady is far and away the leader in this stat. His 230 wins are a record for most career wins by a quarterback in the NFL, 44 more than Brett Favre's and Peyton Manning's 186, tied for the second-biggest mark in the league.

Divisional Round - Tampa Bay Buccaneers v New Orleans Saints

Brady also has a .769 win percentage, the biggest for any quarterback with more than 70 wins in the NFL. What the Buccaneers star does is just amazing.

#4 - Records. Records. Records. And more records.

With so many playing years and so many wins, obviously Brady has a ton of NFL records to his name. Here's a quick rundown of some of the most important ones:

• Most combined passing yards: 91,653
• Most combined touchdown passes: 664
• Most game-winning drives: 61
• Most fourth-quarter comebacks: 48
• Most games won by a quarterback: 264
• Most games started by a quarterback: 344
• Oldest quarterback to lead the league in passing yards: 40
• Most yards in a single season for a quarterback aged 40 and older (age 43)
• Oldest player to win MVP: 40
• Oldest position player to be named first-team All-Pro: 40
• Most Pro Bowl Selections: 14 (tied)

.@TomBrady turns 44 today.— More SBs than every franchise— Beat 19 teams in playoffs— 34 playoff wins— No. 1 all-time TDs— No. 2 all-time yards— As many NFC titles as Rodgers, Brees, Ryan— 3,039 yards in SBsFather Time is begging for mercy 🐐 @brgridiron pic.twitter.com/QSqwoQlmJd

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) August 3, 2021

Yes, this Brady guy is kind of good.

#5 - Led the greatest comeback in Super Bowl history

Even the best Super Bowl ever ended in a Tom Brady win, as he led the New England Patriots in a 28-3 comeback during the last 17 minutes of Super Bowl LI against the Atlanta Falcons, winning the game 34-28 in overtime.

Brady, aged 39 at the time, threw 62 passes and completed 43 of them as the Patriots kept scoring over and over to reduce the deficit and then tie the game with one minute remaining. When the overtime coin toss happened and the Patriots won the ball, nobody had any doubt about what was going to happen in the end. A 25-point comeback in the Super Bowl is incredible just to think about.