Jerry Rice Says Tom Brady Can Have GOAT Status After Winning 7th Super Bowl

After Tom Brady won his seventh Super Bowl on Sunday, many fans and experts started calling him the absolute GOAT. NFL legend Jerry Rice was considered the GOAT for a very long time but is now willing to pass the title to Brady. The former San Francisco 49ers and Oakland Raiders (now Las Vegas Raiders) wide receiver talked about Brady on 95.7 The Game and said the seven Super Bowl rings puts him over the top.

“When you have seven rings, you’re doing something right,” Rice said. “With Brady, he still wants to play. He said something about playing until he’s 45. I think he can do it now in this league because players are so much more protected. So yeah, he can have that GOAT status. I never wanted that status anyhow.” Rice had a lot of success in the NFL but explained why Brady is able to play at a high level for over 20 years.

“I don’t have seven Super Bowl rings,” Rice said, “but I think I played in an era when football was more of a contact sport. You’re seeing a lot of that now – players are protected.” Rice explained why he never wanted the GOAT status, saying he just “played the game to for the love of the game. I wanted to win for San Francisco and the great fans that we have and also the organization, Bill Wash and my teammates.” He then added he just “wanted to win Super Bowls.”

Rice was able to do just that, winning three of them with the 49ers. His first Super Bowl appearance was the 23rd edition in 1980, and Rice was named MVP after recorded 11 receptions for 215 yards and one touchdown. He also helped the 49ers win Super Bowl XXIV and Super Bowl XXIX.

While Rice was a great champion, many fans and experts called him the GOAT over the years because of the records he set at the wide receiver position. In his career, Rice caught 1,549 passes for 22,895 yards and 197 touchdowns. He also has posted 208 total touchdowns and 23,546 all-purpose yards. All of the numbers mentioned are NFL records.