National Football League

Is Tom Brady the greatest NFL player of all time? Skip and Shannon weigh in

Published Jan. 27, 2017 2:00 p.m. ET

Andrew Lynch

Four Super Bowl rings. Eleven AFC championship game appearances. The greatest single regular season by a quarterback in NFL history. More playoff appearances than anyone.

When you add it all up, New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady has an awfully compelling case as the greatest NFL quarterback of all time — if not the greatest player in football history.

On Friday's episode of FS1's Undisputed, Skip Bayless and Shannon Sharpe discussed whether Brady is already at that lofty level. Their conclusion? If Brady isn't already the G.O.A.T., a win in Super Bowl LI would be the final piece of evidence.

SKIP: If Tom Brady does win his fifth Super Bowl ring, that would be the most by any quarterback ever. And if he did it without Rob Gronkowski — we all agree, by far his best receiver — and let's just say that Tom Brady pulled off winning this MVP of this game, that would be his fourth Super Bowl MVP. That would be a Super Bowl record.

I would say if all that happens, he would have eclipsed Joe Montana as the greatest ever.

SHANNON: Not just quarterback, the greatest player. Now right now, for me, the two greatest players — I go back and forth — Jerry Rice and Lawrence Taylor. Those are my two greatest players. But if Tom Brady were to win five Super Bowls in seven trips? With 11 AFC championship games? With all his body of work, his resume through the regular season, the All-Pros, leading the league in TD passes, leading the league in passing yards? Skip, I don't know what there really is to debate.