Tom Brady once admitted he'd swap two Super Bowl rings to finish undefeated against Eli Manning's NY Giants

Tom Brady's NFL career was glittering but if there was one blemish, it came courtesy of Eli Manning and the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLII. The New England Patriots had finished the regular season 16-0 and were heavily favored to win the game. They were the first seed in the AFC, whereas the Giants were the fifth seed from the NFC.

Had the Patriots won the game, they would have matched the Miami Dolphins. who went undefeated in 1972 season and lifted the Lombardi Trophy. Alas, it was not to be for Tom Brady as Eli Manning engineered the game winning drive late in the fourth quarter, featuring an improbable 'Helmet Catch' by David Tyree. It finished 17-14 to New York as New England supporters were left crestfallen.

It is a regret that clearly gnaws at Tom Brady even to this day. With this year's Super Bowl coming up in a week, it is a timely reminder that the GOAT quarterback once admitted that he was willing to give up two rings if that meant that he could get one in return for a perfect season. He confirmed that he absolutely supported that hypothetical trade, when asked about the possibility,

"I would 100 percent."

Tom Brady's 7 Super Bowl rings ranked in order of matchup difficulty

The question that we must ask then is which two Super Bowl rings Tom Brady would be willing to give up to wrest the 2008 one back from Eli Manning. Here, we have ranked his Super Bowl rings in order of difficulty.

#7 - Super Bowl XXXIX, Patriots by 7 over Eagles

In 2005, Tom Brady won his third Super Bowl and the Patriots became the last back-to-back NFL champions as on date. While Andy Reid has the chance to take over that mantle when the Kansas City Chiefs face the San Francisco 49ers in this year's edition, he was on the losing side with the Eagles in this game. Deion Branch won the MVP for his performance.

#6 - Super Bowl XXXVIII, Patriots by 7 over Panthers

In 2004, the Patriots won their second Super Bowl to prove that the first was no fluke. The Panthers were the ones to fall and they must curse their luck that in the two championship games they have made in their history, they have had to come up against Tom Brady and Peyton Manning.

#5 - Super Bowl LI, Patriots by 3 over Falcons

The 28-3 game, the ultimate choke job by the Falcons! That is how this game will be remembered. But coming into the game, the Patriots were favored and in a parallel universe, the match would have been one of the most forgettable of all time because the final score was what the bookies expected all along.

#4 - Super Bowl LIII, Patriots by 2.5 over Rams

Sean McVay would win a Super Bowl with the Rams a couple of years from their defeat to the Patriots in 2019. But this defeat might have convinced him to move on from Jared Goff and get Matthew Stafford. The 13-3 loss was not the most explosive game ever and Tom Brady did not win the game MVP award as that went to Julian Edelman.

#3 - Super Bowl XLIX, Patriots even with Seahawks

A decade had passed before Tom Brady won his fourth Super Bowl with the Patriots by defeating the Seahawks. In the process, they stopped Seattle from going back-to-back and emulating their success earlier in the century. Harrowing losses to Eli Manning in the years between 2005 and 2015 would be erased by this victory. Without this Super Bowl, the GOAT quarterback's legacy might have looked a lot different.

#2 - Super Bowl LV, Chiefs by 3 over Buccaneers

This was only the second time in his career that Tom Brady was the underdog going into the Super Bowl. He was without Bill Belichick, in his first year with a new team and the Kansas City Chiefs were the reigning champions. Again, he stopped another team from going back-to-back, and in the process cemented his legacy by winning a ring without the coaching organization of the Patriots.

#1 - Super Bowl XXXVI, Rams by 14 over Patriots

The very first ring of his Tom Brady's career was arguably the toughest. They were 14 point underdog and he had replaced original starter Drew Bledsoe midway through the season. They were facing 'The Greatest Show on Turf' led by Kurt Warner and instead came out on top to signal the start of the Patriots dynasty.

If it were up to us, the two Super Bowls in which the GOAT did not win the game MVP should be the ones he would want to sacrifice in exchange for completing a perfect season by defeating Eli Manning and the Giants. Let us know your thoughts on this in the comments below.