Tom Brady had a terrific first season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, winning his first Super Bowl with the Floridian team after spending the first 20 years of his career with the New England Patriots.
A lot of people were doubtful that the 43-year-old was going to be successful in Tampa but he proved everybody wrong, leading his team through the fire, beating big rivals on their way to the big game, and ultimately beating a great squad in Kansas City Chiefs.
After having a great career in Foxborough, TB12 decided to have a fresh start, and that move paid off for the player, who won it all in his first campaign with his new team. A lot has been said about what led Brady to sign with the Bucs, with coaches, analysts, and fans trying to clarify what was behind that decision.
Peyton Manning inspired Tom Brady to sign with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The relationship between Peyton Manning and Tom Brady was really good. The 2x NFL champion created a big rivalry with the Patriots legend and even though they starred in big duels over the years, Manning and Brady had a close friendship.
That indirectly affected Brady’s decision to sign with the Bucs, according to the team’s quarterback coach. Clyde Christensen explained on Wednesday’s edition of “The Zach Gelb Show” that seeing Peyton do what he did in Denver inspired Brady to sign with the NFC South team.
“[Brady] said one of the things that looked really fun and challenging to him is what Peyton did in Denver,” Christensen said, via USA TODAY. “There was something about that challenge that hit (Brady) right. ‘Hey, I’m going to go see if I can do this again somewhere else.’ “
In case you don’t know or remember, Peyton played with the Indianapolis Colts the big part of his career, becoming one of the best names in the game, leading that team to win the Super Bowl in 2007 against the Chicago Bears.
Eight years later, he would win his second Vince Lombardi trophy with the Denver Broncos, beating the favorites Carolina Panthers led by the 2015 NFL MVP Cam Newton. As you could notice, there are a lot of similarities between Peyton and Brady’s first titles with their new franchises.
TB12, however, will try to add more silverware to his collection. He could be playing in the Super Bowl LVI with 44 years, setting more records with the Bucs.