Mike Francesa says Tom Brady isn’t the best regular-season, Super Bowl quarterback

After 23 remarkable seasons, QB Tom Brady retired from the NFL “for good” on Wednesday, ending arguably the greatest career in sports history.

The 45-year-old’s announcement came at the perfect time for the latest episode of ESPN’s “First Take,” which featured a “Mike and the Mad Dog” reunion. Radio legend Mike Francesa joined hosts Stephen A. Smith and Chris Russo with his fastball still intact and discussed Brady’s legacy. 

“Tom Brady made himself great,” Francesa said. “He wasn’t great. He wasn’t great in college. He lost his job, which is what fueled him his whole life. He was the most competitive person anybody ever met, and he worked harder than anybody ever to be this good.”

Building on his hot take, Francesa added, “Now, I’m going to throw a little oil on the ceremony. He [Brady] is not the best regular-season quarterback I’ve ever seen. Peyton Manning was. He’s not the best Super Bowl quarterback who ever lived. Joe Montana is.”

“What he is, though, is the guy who played the longest, and he won the most games. He won the most Super Bowls, so he will be remembered because nobody is gonna play 23 years, and nobody’s probably ever gonna have a chance to win that many Super Bowls.”