Tom Brady‘s NFL longevity will be tough to match for all active players as of the present.
The quarterback retired after 22 seasons and seven Super Bowl titles for two teams.
His career has been so long that football experts argue about him having three Hall-of-Fame careers throughout his journey.
His final season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is not indicative of a player slowing down even if he’s in his mid-40s.
Brady threw for 5,316 yards and 43 touchdowns last season, earning him the second-most votes in the MVP race behind Aaron Rodgers.
If he won’t pull off a Brett Favre, Brady finished his career with 97,569 yards and 710 touchdowns.
But to make his longevity look more insane, FootballGuys’ Dave Kluge compared his timeline to a Pro Football Hall Of Famer.
Calvin Johnson:
– Graduated 8th grade and went to high school
– Played for 3 years at Georgia Tech
– Set the single-season NFL receiving record
– Retired
– Was admitted into the Hall of Fame
– Started a career as an NFL analyst… all during Tom Brady’s NFL career.
— Dave Kluge (@DaveKluge) March 7, 2022
Kluge tweeted that wide receiver Calvin Johnson‘s growth as an individual and as an NFL player all happened within Brady’s professional career.
Johnson joined the Detroit Lions as the second overall pick in the 2007 NFL Draft and ended up playing nine seasons.
While his career is relatively short, it was enough to make him one of the all-time greats.
After playing for three years at Georgia Tech, Johnson had 756 yards and four touchdowns in 15 games played during his rookie year.
That year was only one of two seasons wherein he finished below 1,000 receiving yards.
Record-Breaking Players
Brady held every major record for quarterbacks by the time he retired.
Meanwhile, Johnson has the most number of receiving yards in a season (1,964) and most consecutive games with at least ten receptions (four).
The current NFL analyst is also tied with Michael Irvin for the most 100-yard games in a season with 11.
His 329 yards against the Dallas Cowboys on October 27, 2013 is also a single-game record for a wide receiver in regulation.
NEXT: Maxx Crosby Is In Line For A Massive New Contract