Tom Brady decided to step away from the gridiron in 2023 and has been watching the new generation of quarterbacks from the sidelines since then. But it looks like he’s worried about the current state of the position and how it can affect the likes of Patrick Mahomes, Jalen Hurts, and all the signal-callers in the NFL.
The seven-time Super Bowl champ, who will make his debut as an analyst for FOX this season, has already started to share some thoughts on the league, and one of his first analysis had to do with a concerning trend at quarterback.
“I think the quarterbacking has gone backwards a little bit in the NFL,” Brady told Yahoo Sports. “I don’t think it’s improved, I don’t think the teaching’s improved. I don’t think quarterbacks are really field generals right now, like they used to be.“
Tom Brady believes NFL QBs have less control nowadays
“I had total control, I had all the tools I needed,” Brady continued. “I was coached that way, I was developed to have the tools that I needed to go on the field so that whenever something came up, I had the right play, the right formation, the right audible, the right check at the line to ultimately take control of 11 guys on offense and get us into a good positive play.”
In more than two decades in the NFL, both with the New England Patriots and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Brady felt he had enough freedom to lead the offense. Now, the 46-year-old is afraid the new quarterbacks don’t have the same luck.
“I think now, there’s this try to control element from the sideline between the coaches where they want to have the control, and they’re not teaching and developing the players the right tools so they can go on the field and make their own decisions that are best suited for the team,” Brady added. “And I think the game’s regressed a little bit on that way based on what’s happened in high school football, college football, and then the NFL’s getting a much lesser developed quarterback at this point.“
Mahomes and Hurts may be among the few exceptions, but Brady thinks the quarterback play in the NFL is trending down in general. It’s an interesting take, to say the least, but it won’t be the last one as the TB12 analyst is just getting started.