Tom Brady is officially retired from the NFL, and one of his biggest rivals has a message for him. Peyton Manning released a statement shortly after Brady’s retirement announcement and said his career was “unbelievable.” Manning and Brady had their share of battles on the field, which has led to a great friendship.
“Congratulations to my friend Tom on an unbelievable football career,” Manning said. “To do it as long as he did, at the highest of levels is absolutely incredible. It was an honor and a privilege to compete against him on the field, and I truly appreciate his friendship off the field. I have always admitted & respected his competitiveness, his dedication, his discipline, and his commitment to being the best. I wish him the best in his next chapter. Congratulations again pal!”
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Manning and Brady have one of the best rivalries in NFL history. The two have faced each other a total of 17 times with Brady winning 11 of the games. But Manning won the final contest, which was when the Denver Broncos defeated the New England Patriots in the 2015 AFC Championship game, Manning went on to lead the Broncos to a Super Bowl title before retiring.
When Manning was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame last year, Brady attended the ceremony, which led to Manning going after him in his speech. “Next year, acceptance speeches will probably shrink to four minutes,” Manning said. “And speaking of rivals, my good friend Tom Brady is here tonight, and by the time he is inducted, in his first year of eligibility in the year 2035, he’ll only have time to post his acceptance speech on his Instagram account.”
Manning retired at 39 years old and threw for 2,249 yards, nine touchdowns and 17 interceptions in his final year as a starter. Brady is retiring at 44 years old and threw for 5,316 yards, 43 touchdowns and 12 touchdowns this past season. “I am not going to make that competitive commitment anymore,” Brady wrote. I have loved my NFL career, and now it’s time to focus my time and energy on other things that require my attention. I have done a lot of reflecting the past week and have asked myself difficult questions. And I am so proud of what we have achieved.”
