Tom Brady received a text from one of his old rivals after winning his seventh Super Bowl championship in February.
Former New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning revealed in a recent interview with Sports Illustrated's Madelyn Burke that he reached out to Brady following the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' 31-9 win over the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LV.
"I sent Tom a text just congratulating him and really just saying how, not surprised, but impressed with what he was able to do this year in Tampa," Manning said. "Changing teams, shortened season ... pandemic, and everything going on, and to still learn a brand-new offense and make those adjustments and go win a championship is pretty spectacular."
Manning, who beat Brady twice on the big stage, explained that he decided to walk away from the NFL when he did because he didn't want to join a new team after spending 16 seasons in New York.
"One of the reasons I did retire is that I didn't want to make that change, I didn't want to have to move my family, start all over, go to a different organization that maybe does things different than what you've been doing your entire career," Manning said. "Almost 20 years, you've been doing something one way, what if it's different? What if you can't make those adjustments or coaches want you to do things that you're not used to doing? So, there's so many what-ifs.
"But obviously, (Brady) was able to go there, implement some of the things that he's had success with but also make those changes and learn, grow as a player, as a teammate. Just a lot of respect for Tom, and not just this year, but his entire career."
