The NFL career of Tom Brady gave fans a historic era of quarterbacks.
During his career, NFL fans saw some of the greatest quarterbacks of the 21st century.
However, the retirement of Brady on Wednesday ends this historic quarterback era.
With a tweet, SNF on NBC had a graphic of the elite quarterbacks who rose up, and retired, during the seven-time Super Bowl quarterback’s career.
The end of an era in the #NFL. pic.twitter.com/xyZ3xvtj5y
— Sunday Night Football on NBC (@SNFonNBC) February 1, 2023
The graphic shows Brady, Drew Brees, Peyton Manning, Eli Manning, Phillip Rivers, and Ben Roethlisberger.
Several things about these quarterbacks make their era historic.
He outlasted five other elite quarterbacks which fans saw over the past 23 years.
While this speaks highly about his longevity, there’s another component which made that era of quarterbacks historic.
The second thing making the era historic was how those quarterbacks were known as pocket passers.
While all six quarterbacks made plays with their legs occasionally, they mainly stuck to the pocket to pass.
With the rise of mobile quarterbacks, Brady comes from a historic era where quarterbacks weren’t as mobile.
The Mannings, Brees, Rivers, and Roethlisberger all stood in the pocket to make their name as elite quarterbacks.
For them, the pocket was home for them, and allowed them to pick apart defenses.
While the era of pocket passers is slowly dying, the retirement of Brady was the biggest blow to that era.
However, his retirement now adds the last elite quarterback from a time where pass protection meant everything for those quarterbacks.
NEXT: Stats Prove Tom Brady Ended His Career On A Frustrating Note
