Tom Brady laments huge ‘tragedy’ about today’s NFL quarterbacks

Aug 26, 2023; Arlington, Texas, USA; Former NFL player Tom Brady on the field before the game between the Dallas Cowboys and the Las Vegas Raiders at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

Tom Brady doesn’t sound like he’s a fan of how quarterbacking in the NFL has changed over the years.

Brady recently made an appearance on “The Stephen A. Smith Show” while attending a Fanatics-hosted event.

Smith brought up a quote Brady gave last year about there being “a lot of mediocrity” in today’s NFL. The ESPN host asked the 7-time Super Bowl winner to expound on what he had meant.

Brady stated that quarterbacks just aren’t being developed the way they used to be.

The Michigan alum explained that there were no longer college football “programs” but rather college “teams.” In his eyes, coaches in both the college and pro levels have catered more to the players rather than having the players adapt to a program or system.

“I think it’s just a tragedy that we’re forcing these rookies to play early,” Brady said. “But the reality is the only reason why they are is that we’ve dumbed the game down, which has allowed them to play.”

.@TomBrady on the tragedy that is being forced on rookie QBs in today’s NFL pic.twitter.com/IReSLdYL1R

— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) August 19, 2024

It’s hard to argue with Brady on anything related to quarterbacking. The man is the greatest QB of all time and one of the winningest athletes in any sport.

But we’ve seen time and again how retired players, from any sport, criticize the modern game. On the other side of the spectrum, current players sometimes talk down on their predecessors by not giving the past eras their due respect.

In fact, Brady himself recently threw shade at one member of the current crop of QBs.