Tom Brady is just 68 yards shy of the NFL’s all-time passing record heading into Sunday’s massive showdown against the New England Patriots, but that’s not the only record he will likely be a part of in the game.
Brady is more than 21 years older (21 years and 33 days, to be exact) than Patriots starting quarterback Mac Jones. Assuming all goes as planned and both quarterbacks start, the age gap between the two will be the largest for any two starting quarterbacks in NFL history.
Of course, Brady has set several of these marks. The previous three largest age gaps between starting quarterbacks came when Brady went up against Justin Herbert, Sam Darnold and Daniel Jones. That trend will likely continue, as Brady has shown no signs of slowing down and appears poised to play several more seasons. As Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk notes, Justin Fields and Zach Wilson are both younger than Jones. Brady’s Bucs play the Chicago Bears on Oct. 24 and New York Jets on Jan. 2.
To give you some perspective, Jones was born on the same day Brady made his first college start at Michigan. The former Alabama star was 3 when Brady won his first of seven Super Bowls.
With Brady now well into his 40s, we’re constantly seeing wild reminders of how long he has been around. It’s only fitting that another will come when he returns to New England for the first time as a visiting player.
