Before defeating the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LV on Sunday, Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady was asked last week for his reaction to former NFL quarterback Peyton Manning reaching the Pro Football Hall of fame.
“Peyton was someone that I always just admired as a quarterback, as a leader of a team,” Brady said during his media availability on Feb. 4. “Peyton and I are right around the same age, he’s a few years older than me, but I always looked up to Peyton because he was a little older than me and he was always doing things the right way.
“His team was always in it. I know our teams had a rivalry against one another, but when you went against a Peyton-led team, you were going against the best team in the league. It’s no real surprise that he’d be a first-ballot Hall of Famer. [He was] an amazing player.”
When they played together in the AFC, Brady and Manning had a fierce on-field rivalry but they were (and remain) friends off the field. Brady led the all-time series against Manning 11-6, but Manning had an edge in the playoffs, owning a 3-2 postseason record against Brady. All three of Manning’s playoff wins vs. Brady came in AFC Championship Games.
Brady will join Manning in Canton five years after his own retirement.
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