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Tom Brady has defied father time and his critics over and over again whenever his age has been brought up. He is the oldest player in the NFL and is still going strong. Last season, he finished second in the NFL MVP voting. The season before that, he won the Super Bowl in his first campaign with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Since turning 37, he has won four Super Bowls and three Super Bowl MVP awards. To put it into perspective, at 38 Joe Montana retired with four Super Bowls and three Super Bowl MVP awards. Just since turning the same age as when Joe Montana was when he retired, Tom Brady has won the equivalent of what the former 49ers great achieved in his entire career.
The ageless wonder of Tom Brady
#1 - Winning the Super Bowl with a new team at 43 years old
Tom Brady won Super Bowl LV against the Kansas City Chiefs when he was 43 years old in February 2020. That in itself would have been impressive, except that he did it in his first season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. With the win, he broke his own record for oldest Super Bowl winner and won his seventh Super Bowl.
It is one more Super Bowl win than any other franchise, never mind any other player. For good measure, he won the Super Bowl MVP award as well, setting the record for the oldest recipient.
#2 - Becoming the oldest NFL MVP at 40
In 2017, Tom Brady was named the NFL MVP for the third time in his career. He achieved it at 40 years of age. The previous record was held by Peyton Manning, who did it with the Denver Broncos at 37 years old. Even Aaron Rodgers' win last year was only 38 years old. Anyone who has seen his decline this year will understand how epic Brady's win at that age is.
#3 - Breaking the Pro Bowl appearances record at 44
Last season, Brady made it to his 15th Pro Bowl and broke the record for most selections. He did it at the age of 44, when most players are well and truly retired.
#4 - Passing touchdowns and yards leader at 44
Last season, he finished second in the NFL MVP voting, losing out only to Aaron Rodgers. Brady led the league in completions, passing touchdowns and passing yards. He outshone his entire competition at the age of 44.
#5 - Unretirement decision at 45
Perhaps the best way Tom Brady defied father time was when he renounced his retirement at the end of last season and returned to the NFL the next month. Besides a couple of weeks when it looked ill-advised, he seems to be back to his best and looking towards a playoff run this year. The next oldest quarterback on this list would be Brett Favre, who did it when 38 years old.
No wonder he decided to unretire and come back to play in the NFL. For Tom Brady, age is just a number to be won over just like everything else on the football field. He appears to be looking to go out on a high, no doubt after winning a Super Bowl. We will see if he can realize this ambition in the coming months or, who knows, the coming seasons.
