In a surprising turn of events, Tom Brady didn’t make the Pro Bowl this season. This is shocking considering his résumé and prestige around the NFL, but it makes sense when you take an in-depth look at his numbers and the context.
Brady had the chance to become the player with most Pro Bowl selections in football history, as he’s currently tied at 14 with Tony Gonzalez, Peyton Manning, Merlin Olsen, and Bruce Matthews.
Now, it seems like he’ll have to wait until the second season of the 2-year deal he signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the summer to break the record, assuming he decides to retire after that season.
Tom Brady Speaks Up On Not Making The Pro Bowl
But, when asked about how he felt about not making the Pro Bowl and whether he felt like he was snubbed, Brady was as honest and straight-forward as he could be and admitted that other players were more deserving of the distinction this year:
“I think there [are] a lot of people who end up being deserving of a really cool accolade like that,” Brady said, as quoted by Pro Football Talk. “I’ve been very fortunate to be picked a bunch of times, and I think it’s really great for other guys to get picked too. It’s hard sometimes to pick just a few guys. This year, there [were] a lot of great candidates at a lot of positions and a lot of teammates that I wish they would’ve made it,” he added.
“I think individual accolades have a certain place, [but] the most important thing for me has always been about winning football games. I wish we were 14-0 at this point, [but] we’re not — we haven’t deserved it. We haven’t played to that level yet, but hopefully, we can play at a much higher level this Saturday,” he concluded.
Aaron Rodgers, Russell Wilson, and Kyler Murray got the nod on the NFC ahead of Tom Brady, while Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, and Deshaun Watson will represent the AFC in this season’s Pro Bowl. As for Brady, he still has a chance to silence his critics in the playoffs but he’ll have to take his game up a notch after an inconsistent first year at Tampa Bay.
