Patriots quarterback Tom Brady came out of Sunday with a fourth Super Bowl title, a third Super Bowl MVP award, a Super Bowl record for most completions in one game and the career record for most touchdown passes in the Super Bowl.
That’s quite a collection of resume stuffers and they boost Brady’s case in any kind of debate about the best quarterbacks of all time. Brady called it “just awesome” to come back and win a close game in the fourth quarter after being on the other side of things in their last two trips to the Super Bowl, but he wasn’t as ready to reflect on his career legacy.
“No. I’ve got a lot of football left,” Brady said in his postgame press conference. “It’s hard to play this game and it take a big commitment, a lot of sacrifice. For all the players that have played in the past and I’ve looked up to and admired and a lot of the players now who I look up to and admire — it’s a big challenge and it’s incredible to experience this feeling once and I’ve been fortunate to play on four really great teams, so I’m really blessed.”
The Patriots have been just as fortunate to have Brady over the last 14 years, a run that started with another Brady-led game-winning drive in the fourth quarter of the Super Bowl. Super Bowl XLIX may not be a proper bookend since Brady’s going to keep playing, but it’s a significant milepost on the path of his career at the very least.