Legendary NFL cornerback Deion Sanders’s pro football career overlapped with the end of Joe Montana’s legendary run through the league. When the former 49ers quarterback hung up his cleats after the 1994 season, he was widely regarded as the greatest quarterback of all time. And seven years later, Tom Brady emerged as a star with the Patriots.
Brady ultimately surpassed Montana in Super Bowl victories (seven to four) and put together an incredible lengthy career, still performing at a high level at age 45 during the 2022 season until his recent retirement. However, some—including Montana himself—still prefer the 49ers great’s unblemished 4–0 Super Bowl record in the debate over which QB had the better career.
Speaking to Peter King of NBC Sports, Sanders said he used to view Montana as the quarterbacking GOAT but that ultimately Brady wins out in his mind. When asked if Brady’s “longevity” or “greatness” sets him apart, the Colorado coach mentioned a different attribute: his “will.”
“Just the will that he had. The will. The way. What he brought to the game. And his fire and his passion,” Sanders told King. “I’ve never heard anybody, a player, say anything negative about how he attacked the game. He’s a winner. He’s a darn winner. Once upon a time for me it was Montana. It was Joe. Shoot, it was Joe. But Brady with the Super Bowl wins eclipsed that.”
Montana was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2000, and Sanders was inducted in 2011. After leading the Patriots and Buccaneers to seven total Super Bowl wins, Brady is a virtual lock to be inducted in 2028, his first year of eligibility.
