TOP 10 QUARTERBACK RIVALRIES IN NFL HISTORY

 

SIGNED UPPER DECK KOBE BRYANT CARD FETCHES $1 22M AT AUCTION

A 2003-04 Upper Deck Exquisite Collection Emblems of Endorsements card of Kobe Bryant recently sold for $1.22 million, including buyer's premium, with Goldin Auctions.

It's the third highest public sale for a solo Bryant card all-time.

The card is autographed in blue ink, numbered 8/15 and graded near-mint 8 by Beckett Grading Services. It features two multicolored game-used patches cut from a then-No. 8 Bryant jersey.

A 2003-04 Upper Deck Exquisite Collection Emblems of Endorsements card of Kobe Bryant recently sold for $1.22 million, including buyer’s premium, with Goldin Auctions. Courtesy of Goldin Auctions

In the same Goldin auction, the Bryant card was one of four cards to top $500,000. The others: A 2005 Topps Finest SuperFractor die cut Tom Brady card, which sold for $704,550; a 1997-98 Skybox Metal Universe Precious Metal Gems Red Michael Jordan card, which sold for $651,334; and a 1998 Pokémon Japanese Promo Holo Illustrator Pikachu card, which sold for $610,000.

The all-time record paid for a sports card still belongs to one featuring Bryant. A one-of-one numbered, on-card autographed Bryant/Jordan dual Logoman, purchased by Shark Tank's Kevin O'Leary, mega-collector Matt Allen (better known as Shyne150 in the collecting space) and entrepreneur Paul Warshaw for $12.932 million last August.

- Dan Hajducky

THE HIGHEST -PAID NFL PLAYERS OF ALL TIME

 

TOM BRADY CAME TO THE SUPER BOWL LIX 'BLINGING'

 

MOST WINS BY A QB THROUGH 8 SEASONS | IN NFL HISTORY

 

BEST ATHLETES OF 21ST CENTURY

 

RAVENS NEWS: QB LAMAR JACKSONAKES NFL HISTORY IN GAME VS. CHIEFS

© Scott Taetsch/Getty ImagesLamar Jackson, quarterback of the Baltimore Ravens

Lamar Jackson has really improved in recent years, and now the quarterback of the Baltimore Ravens has made history in the Week 1 game against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Lamar Jackson’s surprising admission on the last time Ravens faced Mahomes’ Chiefs

Ravens MVP Lamar Jackson reveals Tom Brady as his motivation for the new NFL season.

The 2024 season has kicked off for the Baltimore Ravens, who faced the Kansas City Chiefs on the road, with Lamar Jackson making NFL history during the game.

Lamar Jackson has shown significant improvement in recent years. Initially known more for his running ability than his passing, Jackson has refined his throwing skills and become a more well-rounded quarterback.

According to oddsmakers, the Ravens are strong contenders for the upcoming Super Bowl. However, their first challenge of the season was formidable, as they had to take on the reigning champions away from home.

Lamar Jackson passes Russell Wilson in astonishing NFL stat

Everyone is aware of Lamar Jackson’s remarkable skills. When he started his career, numerous analysts were convinced that he would do a better job as a wide receiver or a running back rather than a quarterback.

Nevertheless, he worked really hard to prove his critics wrong and improved his passing abilities. Now, Jackson is a very complete quarterback, being both a menace through the air and on the ground.

The 2024 season started with a tough game for Baltimore, as they had to face the Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium. While the Ravens struggled offensively in the first half, Lamar Jackson was able to make history in the first two quarters.

The quarterback used his rushing abilities to run for 63 yards on eight carries during the first half. With these yards, Lamar Jackson passed Russell Wilson as the third quarterback with the most rushing yards in NFL history.

Lamar Jackson #8 of the Baltimore Ravens warms up prior to the AFC Championship Game against the Kansas City Chiefs at M&T Bank Stadium on January 28, 2024 in Baltimore, Maryland.

While Wilson still has a chance to add more rushing yards, Lamar Jackson will likely play for more years to increase his numbers. Russell Wilson entered the season with 5,307 rushing yards, while Jackson had 5,258 prior to the game against Kansas City.

Who is the quarterback with the most rushing yards in NFL history?

The quarterback with the most rushing yards in NFL history is Michael Vick. Over his career, Vick amassed 6,109 rushing yards, setting the record with his dynamic playmaking and mobility as a quarterback.

Lamar Jackson is just a few yards away from breaking the record, and it appears he might achieve it this year. If he remains healthy, he could set a milestone that may remain unmatched for several years.

- Fernando Franco Puga

KNICKS' JALEN BRUNSON ACCEPTS $156.5M, $113M LESS THAN '25 DEAL

 In a largely unprecedented financial concession to give roster flexibility to a contending franchise, New York Knicks All-NBA guard Jalen Brunson has agreed to a four-year, $156.5 million contract extension -- $113 million less guaranteed than he is eligible to sign for a year from now -- his agent, Sam Rose of CAA, told ESPN on Friday.

The deal, which begins in 2025-26 and will cost Brunson $37.1 million over the next three years, comes with a fourth-year player option, Rose said, and that would set up Brunson to recoup the $113 million on a four-year, $323 million maximum extension in 2028 or a new five-year, $418 million deal in 2029.

Brunson, 27, became eligible to negotiate and sign the maximum extension Friday.

While there is an inherent risk of injury and unforeseen complications that come with Brunson's decision to push back his most lucrative NBA paydays, his priority remains to maximize the prime of his career with the franchise's most talented and deepest roster since the 1990s.

The repercussions of Brunson choosing the four-year, $156.5 million max deal over the five-year, $269.1 million deal in 2025 are massive for the Knicks' ability to keep this team together and continue making roster moves to close the gap on a championship. Brunson's deal keeps the Knicks out of the second-apron level of the salary cap, a punitive threshold that severely limits a team's ability to make trades, sign players and use draft picks.

Getty Images 

Brunson's study of championship organizations and franchise stars -- Patrick Mahomes' Kansas City Chiefs, the Tom Brady New England Patriots and the Derek Jeter New York Yankees -- gave him a blueprint for MVP-level players who structured contracts to give their teams the best chances at sustainable title runs.

Brunson's arrival to the Knicks on a four-year, $104 million free agent deal two years ago has been one of the league's most transformative acquisitions of the past decade. After starting his career as a backup point guard with the Dallas Mavericks, Brunson has blossomed into one of the NBA's most impactful players and leaders. Brunson had his finest NBA season in 2023-24, earning All-NBA honors and finishing top five in the MVP voting. He averaged 28.7 points per game and scored or assisted on a franchise-record 3,481 points. Brunson, who had 11 40-point games in the regular season, became the first Knicks player with 40 points and five assists in four straight playoff games, according to ESPN Stats & Information.

The Knicks presumably became better -- and inarguably more expensive -- this offseason. New York signed OG Anunoby to a five-year, $212.5 million deal and traded for Brooklyn Nets forward Mikal Bridges and the two years, $48 million left on his contract.

Brunson's ties to the Knicks are deep and reflect his faith in the organization. Knicks president of basketball operations Leon Rose had been Brunson's agent prior to joining the team in 2020. Brunson's father, Rick, is a Knicks assistant coach and was a longtime client of Rose's in his agent days. The Knicks have surrounded Brunson with a starry cast of his former national championship teammates at Villanova to create a remarkable synchronicity on and off the floor.

In the modern era, All-NBA player discounts to allow salary cap flexibility have included San Antonio's Tim Duncan taking $11 million less than the maximum in 2007 to keep Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker and Golden State's Kevin Durant taking $10 million less to keep Shaun Livingston and Andre Iguodala in 2017. LeBron James accepted $2.6 million less on a two-year, $101 million deal this offseason to avoid the second apron for the Los Angeles Lakers.

This time, Brunson is taking a $37 million loss that comes with $113 million of total risk to chase a title with the Knicks.

ESPN's Bobby Marks contributed to this report.

- Adrian Wojnarowski, ESPN

WHY THE KLAY THOMPSON ERA ENDED AT GOLDEN STATE

 RIVIERA COUNTRY CLUB in Pacific Palisades is one of those places in Los Angeles where every room -- every tree, even -- has a famous Hollywood story behind it. Its 12th hole was Humphrey Bogart's favorite to play and, later, where he'd sit and watch tournaments with a cup of bourbon. The sycamore on that hole was eventually named Bogey's Tree.

Riviera was also where Tom Brady was spotted right after he retired in 2023 while his then-wife, Gisele Bundchen, took in the Met Gala in New York. The couple had attended that event together many times over the years, so seeing her shine in a feathery white gown on the same day Brady was chipping out of sand traps was the public end of their union, which had dissolved just a few months earlier.

Six weeks ago, the club's famous golf course was the site of the end of the Golden State Warriors' 13-year marriage to Klay Thompson. The team's controlling owner, Joe Lacob, had invited Thompson to play a round with him at the exclusive course to show him respect, to try to strengthen a frayed bond with the franchise legend so that he might be willing to wait, to trust that the team still wanted him, even though negotiations on a new contract had long since gone south.

Thompson, 34, had spent his entire career with the Warriors. He had become a franchise icon, a symbol of an entire era. But even those closest to him in the organization often wondered if they really knew him. Assistant coach Bruce Fraser once said of Thompson, "If I was to choose my favorite book, it would be a book written by Klay Thompson when he's 60. Because that's when you'll get everything that's in his soul articulated."

But over the past year, Thompson has been relatively easy to read. He was "miserable," as one person close to him said. Miserable with how negotiations with the team had gone on a new contract. Miserable at the thought he wasn't respected or valued by the franchise in the way his older Splash Brother, Stephen Curry, 36, and Draymond Green, 34, were. Miserable at his declining role on the team. And yes, miserable at the way his game and play had declined, as well.

The two years spent away from basketball as he rehabilitated from major leg injuries had forced Thompson to confront his basketball mortality. What his life was without basketball. What his identity was. He bought a boat, not to escape all these thoughts but to move through them even when his body could not. He read dozens of books and did sessions with motivational guru Tony Robbins. Thompson went spearfishing and challenged himself to hold his breath for several minutes.

His fight back to the court was one of the best stories in sports a few years ago. The Warriors' NBA championship in 2022 was a testament to his resilience.

But everything since that championship has been off -- the team, Thompson himself. The joy, such a hallmark of the Warriors' dynastic run since 2015, had evaporated. The team wasn't winning, either, going 90-74 the past two years and missing the playoffs this past season.

Thompson had felt disrespected, sources said, that the team didn't offer him an extension the summer after it won that title. That feeling only deepened the following summer when Golden State was only willing to discuss two-year contracts in the range of $23 million to $24 million, instead of matching the four-year, $100 million deal Green had received.

Thompson did little to hide his feelings once the season started, and his actions increasingly became difficult to manage, exasperating even his loyalists in the locker room, sources said. He had several emotional meetings with Warriors coach Steve Kerr -- a marked contrast from the days when Kerr dubbed him a "zero maintenance" star.

And so it was that Lacob invited Thompson out to play Riviera in mid-May. There was no set agenda. Lacob just wanted to connect with Thompson and to play. The invitation alone conveyed respect.

But in this case, it was just golf. There was no discussion of contracts or the team. No exploration of why Thompson had been so miserable all year. No drink out by Bogey's Tree.

If either man had something to say that might have saved what had been one of the best basketball marriages in recent history, this would've been the time.

But sometimes there's nothing left to say. The marriage is already over. All that's left to decide is how to move on.

IN SOME WAYS, the Warriors had been moving on from Thompson since he blew out his left knee in the 2019 NBA Finals. They didn't want to, but they had to find replacements for him while he missed two seasons with his injuries (torn ACL in 2019, torn Achilles in 2020).

When he returned in 2022, up-and-coming guard Jordan Poole moved back to a bench role so Thompson could start. But Poole's mere presence -- and contract situation -- undercut Thompson's role on the team. The Warriors prioritized extending Poole -- for four years and $140 million -- and young swingman Andrew Wiggins (four years, $109 million) over Thompson and Green the summer after they won a championship, which didn't sit well with either of the two veterans, sources said.

Green's frustrations and actions are well-documented at this point. But ultimately, he played out the season and played well enough to earn a new four-year contract in 2023. Thompson tried to do the same, scoring 22 points per game and shooting 41% on 3-pointers two seasons ago. But when it came time to discuss a new deal, the organization wasn't ready to offer him the same years or salary it had given Green. Firstly, Green had the leverage of being a free agent in 2023. But perhaps more importantly, the Warriors were determined to maintain as much optionality with their books since the new collective bargaining agreement was set to kick in following the 2024 season.

The Warriors always told Thompson they wanted him back, sources said. But they also wanted him to wait, so they could make other moves first.

By the time this offseason arrived, Thompson's representatives had proposed at least four contracts to the team. Each time, throughout the season, the response from the Warriors was that Thompson and his camp needed to wait while the franchise tried to improve the team in other deals. Most notably, sources said, were efforts to trade for Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James, Brooklyn Nets swingman Mikal Bridges, LA Clippers star Paul George and Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen.

The Warriors didn't know how much or how long they could re-sign Thompson for until they had answers on that other business. It was obvious: Thompson was not the priority.

The reason for this is fairly simple. After losing to the Lakers in the second round of the 2023 playoffs, the front office wanted to shake up the roster, sources said. But Kerr and the team "fought," as one source put it, to keep the roster together. Going on a mini 4-1 run before the trade deadline bought the team time to play out the rest of this past season without a major trade. But the results at the end of the campaign -- finishing 10th in the Western Conference and missing the playoffs entirely -- were more conclusive.

The Warriors, as constructed, didn't have enough. Which is unacceptable for the always-ambitious Lacob in any year. But especially with Curry's prime years dwindling and the luxury tax bill soaring to historic levels.

The Warriors wanted Thompson to stay -- but not in the starting role he had occupied for nearly a decade before his demotion in the middle of last season. He'd be a wise veteran if he returned, an Andre Iguodala-type of player, but not a leading man.

This was communicated to Thompson, sources said, and even though he was not thrilled with the idea, it was not a deal-breaker.

ABOUT A MONTH after the round of golf at Riviera, with his future at Golden State increasingly uncertain, Thompson had a revelation. After almost a year of despair, he needed an entirely new experience, sources said. Out of the fishbowl, away from all the history and people he had always known. Two weeks prior, Thompson's camp had made one final offer to the Warriors, a two-year deal for roughly $20 million per season, sources said. The response was the same as it had been for nearly a year: We just can't do it yet.

For five years, Thompson had been fighting to reclaim his position within the Warriors and be the player he was before his injuries. But that was never going to happen, no matter how hard he trained physically or mentally. Because the Warriors were not the same team, and he was not the same player.

The past two years had been miserable as they both tried to evolve, to accept their new realities. Rather than fight against the dying of the light, why not fight for something new?

Thompson loved watching the Dallas Mavericks run throughout the playoffs this year. He was intrigued by the young Oklahoma City Thunder. He had always wanted to play for the Lakers, in the uniform of his childhood idol, Kobe Bryant.

In the final week before free agency started on Saturday, Thompson met with Kerr in L.A. and told him all this, sources said. He called Green and Curry and told them he wanted a fresh start then asked them not to use their organizational clout to interfere with his negotiations with the team.

Then he called Lacob and general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. and asked them to help him get to a team of his choosing, via a sign-and-trade, if necessary.

Everyone understood and wished him well. This would be an amicable separation.

Dallas was his top choice. He loved the way the Mavericks played and believed he'd be an ideal fit alongside Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, sources said. He came into a dinner meeting with the Mavericks' front office having studied tape of the team and already projecting out how he could help them.

The Mavericks were thrilled to get a player of Thompson's ability and experience on such a reasonably priced contract. The team had a great run to get to the Finals this season, but sources said Dallas felt it needed more veteran leadership to build off the performance.

The Thunder also were interested in Thompson but ended up prioritizing big man Isaiah Hartenstein with their cap space.

That left the Lakers. His father's team. His idol's team. LeBron's team. The team ultimately was willing to offer Thompson more years and more money than he accepted from Dallas. Sources said James was willing to take less and the Lakers were trying to make trades that would've cleared four years and nearly $80 million for Thompson.

James had several deep conversations with Thompson about the idea of playing together, sources said.

But something about playing for the Lakers apparently felt too much like playing for the Warriors. As one source close to him put it, "Would this be trading one fishbowl for another?"

All Thompson had talked about in the two weeks since he had decided and accepted that his time with the Warriors was over was wanting "new experiences" and a "fresh start."

Dallas seemed like a better place to get that.

Mychal Thompson, who played for the Lakers from 1987 to 1991 and is a radio color commentator for the team, was ecstatic at the thought his son would finish his career with the hometown team. He tried to talk to his son about mooring the boat in Marina Del Rey and living in his new house in Hermosa Beach.

"I'm disappointed," the elder Thompson told ESPN. "But maybe playing for the Lakers was more my dream than his."

TOM BRADY INDUCTED INTO PATRIOTS HALL OF FAME, NO. 12 RETIRED

 

"It wasn’t me, it wasn’t you, it was us,” Tom Brady said of his former coach in New England, Bill Belichick. "Let me make this crystal clear -- there is no coach in the world I would rather play for than Bill Belichick." New England Patriots

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- In a sold-out ceremony in front of more than 60,000 fans at Gillette Stadium, Tom Brady was inducted into the New England Patriots Hall of Fame Wednesday night, with owner Robert Kraft announcing that his jersey No. 12 will never be worn again in New England.

In addition, Kraft said a statue of Brady measuring 12 feet tall will be unveiled during the 2024 season, something the franchise has never done before.

"Our goal was to create a once-in-a-lifetime ceremony for a one-in-a-kind player. I hope we accomplished that goal with a few firsts," Kraft said.

Brady capped off the three-hour program with a rousing speech that was at times fiery, emotional, inspirational and humorous. He called it a "monumental moment" in his life, expressed his thanks to Kraft, and concluded by saying: "I am eternally grateful. I am Tom Brady. And I am a Patriot."

Brady's 20 years with the franchise from 2000-19 produced six Super Bowl championships and 17 AFC East titles before he finished his career playing three seasons for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, winning another Super Bowl.

More than 100 of his teammates and former coaches attended the Hall of Fame ceremony, including Bill Belichick, which marked the first time Belichick was back at Gillette Stadium since he and the Patriots parted ways in January after 24 seasons.

Brady noted the presence of Belichick, who was one of the night's featured speakers earlier in the night and received a thunderous ovation.

"Thank you for your tireless commitment to develop and push me to be my very best. It wasn't me, it wasn't you, it was us," Brady said. "Let me make this crystal clear - there is no coach in the world I would rather play for than Bill Belichick."

Belichick had concluded his remarks with a similar message for Brady.

"Thank you for all that you've done for us. Thank you for all you've done for me. And thank you for the example and model that you've been for all of us, on a daily basis, for 20 years," Belichick said. "You're unbelievable."

The night included a few surprises for Brady, including the presence of his longtime rival Peyton Manning, who insisted that he deliver his remarks in person after noting that Brady was there for him at his Pro Football Hall of Fame induction in 2021.

Singer Kenny Chesney was on hand to perform a live version of his song "The Boys of Fall" and rapper Jay-Z sang "Public Service Announcement" -- the song that played when Brady took the field during the second half of his Patriots career.

Brady's parents, sisters and extended family were all in attendance, and Brady often showed his emotions when mentioning them throughout the night.

"It is so difficult to put into words what this night means to me and our entire family," he said.

- Mike Reiss, ESPN Staff Writer

TOM BRADY'S NETFLIX ROAST FEATURES LOTS OF HUMOR, REUNION BETWEEN ROBERT KRAFT AND BILL BELICHICK

AP Photo 

 INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Three months before Tom Brady gets roasted by critics as Fox Sports' top NFL analyst, he took his share of barbs from comedians, former teammates and his longtime coach Sunday night during a made-for-streaming comedy live event on Netflix.

And it is safe to say after the one liners and jokes Brady heard during three hours of “The Greatest Roast of All Time” at The Forum, he will do just fine.

“It’s like a football game. You run with a game plan, and then you get to see kind of how the strategy goes, and then you adjust on the fly,” Brady said before the event. “This is what a locker room has been like for me for all these years. So it’s not like I’m used to people not making fun of me.”

Comedian Nikki Glaser, whose monologue was among the funniest of the night, termed the roast as “the comedians' Super Bowl” and how the competition level was ramped up because everyone wanted to one-up each other.

Brady sustained more blitzes and pressure than he did during an average NFL game as an impressive lineup of comedians, former teammates and opponents took the stage . Host Kevin Hart said before the event that no topic was off limits, and Hart went on the offensive early with jokes about Brady's ex-wife, Gisele Bündchen.

“Gisele gave you an ultimatum. She said you retire or we're done. When you got a chance to go 8-9 and all it will cost you is your wife and your kids, you've got to do what you've got to do,” Hart said, referring to Brady coming out of a brief retirement in 2022 for one more season.

The only time Brady objected to a joke was when Jeff Ross made a reference to Patriots owner Robert Kraft and massages. In 2019, Kraft originally received a misdemeanor charge that he paid for sex at a Florida massage parlor. Prosecutors later dropped the charge after courts blocked the use of video from cameras installed by police inside the massage parlors.

Brady walked up to Ross and said in his ear “don't say that (stuff) again”, but it was clearly caught on the microphone and heard by those watching the roast at home. It was not heard by those in attendance.

Later, Kraft and former Patriots coach Bill Belichick did a shot together on stage after some coaxing from Hart.

Belichick was fired in January after 24 seasons with the Patriots, and a lot has been written about friction between the six-time winning Super Bowl coach and owner over the past couple years.

After joking about this being like a reunion and “unlike many family reunions there are some people I am desperately trying to avoid”, Kraft praised Belichick for what the two accomplished.

“I want to say this is the greatest coach in the history of the game that did what no one else has done. And having Tom Brady and him was the greatest honor the good Lord gave me,” Kraft said.

It wasn't the first shot (of alcohol) that Belichick took. Rob Gronkowski got Belichick and Brady to do a shot together after his monologue. Gronkowski celebrated by spiking his shot glass.

Belichick appeared at the beginning of the roast during a pre-taped segment when he told Brady that he was “starting the roast” instead of Drew Bledsoe. Brady replaced Bledsoe in 2001 when Bledsoe was injured in a Week 2 game against the Jets and led the Patriots to their first Super Bowl title that season.

“For all of you out there who think about who's responsible for the Patriots success during the time Tom and I was together — was it Tom or me — in reality the truth of the matter was it was both of us because of me,” Belichick said.

Brady did have some fun at Belichick's expense though near the end of the show.

“I've been out of the game for a minute, so I’m curious, how many Super Bowl rings have you won since I left?,” Brady said. “Maybe it’s not just the guy on the sideline. When I go to the Indy 500, I don’t ask the winning driver, `Hey, you gassed up your car?;”

Hart said before the show that he thought Brady was in a great mindset going into the event. Brady did come in well prepared, going over his monologue with a group of people, including those at Fox Sports.

“You have to be able to laugh at yourself and I love that he is doing in this forum," Hart said. "I love that he is embracing the things that some people think he runs away from. It is a celebration of greatness and we are doing it in a fun way.”

Bledsoe also said that Brady has had a sense of humor, but that this was a different stage.

“I thought he was very brave. There’s plenty of material to make fun of him on," Bledsoe said. "The truth is when you’re a professional athlete, roasting each other is kind of what we do every day in the locker room. And so, you better have thick skin going in. Now, people get to laugh along with it.”

- JOE REEDY

WAYNE ROONEY FIRED AS MANAGER AFTER 15 GAMES AT SECOND-TIER BIRMINGHAM

AP

BIRMINGHAM, England (AP) — England great Wayne Rooney was fired as the manager of second-tier club Birmingham on Tuesday after 15 games.

Rooney earned only two wins since his controversial appointment in October. Birmingham was sixth in the Championship when he started, and has fallen to 20th.

The club was taken over last summer by a company owned by American businessman Tom Wagner, and it got rid of popular coach John Eustace, who had been in charge for 15 months and steered the club away from relegation.

'A LOT OF MEDIOCRITY': TOM BRADY CRITICIZES LEVEL OF NFL PLAY

Reuters 

From coaching to development of young players to schemes, Tom Brady did not hold back on what he thinks of the quality of today's NFL.

"I think there's a lot of mediocrity in today's NFL. I don't see the excellence that I saw in the past," Brady said on the "The Stephen A. Smith Show" Monday.

"I think the coaching isn't as good as it was," Brady said. "I don't think the development of young players is as good as it was. I don't think the schemes are as good as they were."

Brady, 46, retired earlier this year after a 23-year career in which he won seven Super Bowls with the Patriots (2002, 2004, 2005, 2015, 2017, 2019) and Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2021). He also became the NFL's all-time leader in passing yards and touchdown passes, among many other records.

Brady said one of the biggest reasons for the league's decline is certain side effects of recent rule changes.

"The rules have allowed a lot of bad habits to get into the actual performance of the game," Brady said.

He pointed to rule changes that were intended to protect players from injury, but he says have resulted in a "carefree" attitude on the field.

"Offensive players need to protect themselves. It's not up to a defensive player to protect an offensive player. A defensive player needs to protect himself. ... I think a lot of the way that the rules have come into play have allowed this -- you can essentially play carefree and then if anyone hits you hard, there's a penalty."

Brady cited Ray Lewis, Rodney Harrison and Ronnie Lott as examples of past players who would be challenged to play under today's rules.

".. Every hit they would have made would have been a penalty," Brady said. "You hear coaches complaining about their own player being tackled and not necessarily -- why don't they talk to their player about how to protect himself? ... We used to work on the fundamentals of those things all the time. Now they're trying to be regulated all the time."

Brady also blamed development at the college level -- not the athletes themselves changing -- for an NFL that's seen a decline in scoring the past four seasons, with teams combining to score just 43.3 points per game this season, down from 45.9 in 2021.

"I actually think college players were better prepared when I came out than they are now," he said. "Just because so many coaches are changing programs, and I would say there's not even a lot of college programs anymore. There's a lot of college teams, but not programs that are developing players.

"So as they get delivered to the NFL, they may be athletic, but they don't have much of the skills developed to be a professional. When I played at Michigan, I essentially played at a college program that was very similar to a pro environment. When I see these different players come in, they're not quite as prepared as they were, and I think the game has shown that over the last 12 to 13 years. I think things have slipped a little bit."

--Field Level Media

RETIRED NFL STAR TOM BRADY & DAUGHTER ON SAFARI IN TANZANIA 🇹🇿

TOM BRADY SPENDING HIS 46TH BIRTHDAY IN AFRICA WITH HIS DAUGHTER: SOURCE

The seven-time Super Bowl champion is continuing his safari vacation for his first birthday since his NFL retirement

It’s another trip around the sun for the GOAT — and this time, he's spending the day in Africa!

Tom Brady celebrated his 46th birthday on Thursday — his first since retiring from the NFL and since his divorce from Gisele Bündchen — across the Atlantic, as he continues his safari vacation with daughter Vivian, a source tells PEOPLE.

TOM BRADY $$$ EARNINGS

 

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TOM BRADY ON HIS LET'S GO! PODCAST

GISELE BÜNDCHEN FILES FOR DIVORCE FROM TOM BRADY