TAMPA, FLORIDA – JANUARY 16: Tom Brady #12 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers speaks to the media after losing to the Dallas Cowboys 31-14 in the NFC Wild Card playoff game at Raymond James Stadium on January 16, 2023 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)
Joe Montana and Tom Brady are two of the best quarterbacks to ever play in the NFL, but it appears the two of them do not have much of a relationship at all.
A recent profile of Montana would lead you to believe that there may be some animosity between them. Brady grew up idolizing Montana as a San Francisco 49ers fan, but somehow it never led to him developing a relationship with him.
In an excerpt from Wright Thompson’s “Joe Montana Was Here” for ESPN.com, Montana’s friends say that the two have each other’s phone numbers, but Brady has never made much of an effort to cultivate a relationship and the Hall of Famer seems bothered by him.
“Brady praises Montana as ‘a killer’ in public, but Joe’s friends feel like he’s made little effort to get to know the older player in real life. They have each other’s phone numbers. Something about Brady specifically seems to irritate Montana — friends say he’d be happy if Patrick Mahomes won eight titles — but the truth is, the two men are similar, driven by similar emotions to be great. Ultimately Montana may not care about a ring count, but watching himself get knocked down a spot fires deep powerful impulses and trips old wires even now.”
The profile also dove into Montana’s competitiveness towards Brady.
Thompson writes: “He’s been known to sometimes yell at the television, not so quietly rooting for the Seahawks or Falcons. In an email to me once, Montana called (Brady) ‘the guy in Tampa;’ instead of using his name.“
Montana’s daughter, Elizabeth, to Thompson: “He definitely cares. I don’t think he would own up to caring, but he gets pretty animated at the Tom Brady comparison and is quick to point out the game has changed so much.”
Thompson writes: “Brady liked to text Joe from time to time and talk about breaking his record. Joe laughed but his inner circle quietly bristled.”
It should be noted that Montana has previously gone on record to state that Brady is the best to ever do it at their position.
“I think Tom is taking his place on the top up there, a long time ago. Everybody always contests over that, but when you take a look at what Tom’s been able to accomplish in the time that he’s played, I think it puts him definitely up there at the top of the list.”
It wouldn’t be surprising to see Tom Brady in this same position, which might happen sooner than later with Patrick Mahomes quickly heading to multiple Super Bowls at a young age. A couple more hardware and those comparisons will likely happen while Brady is in the booth for Fox Sports.
