Tom Brady concedes title of GOAT to another NFL legend who played on his favorite childhood team

While he is widely considered the greatest player in NFL history, Tom Brady has given that unofficial title to another gridiron great. A diehard 49ers fan during his childhood, Brady anointed former San Francisco receiver Jerry Rice as the greatest football player of all time. 

"Jerry sets the standard for every football player that's ever played and will play in the future," Brady said during the second episode of "Rise of the 49ers," an AMC documentary about the 49ers' dynasty. "He had a relentless drive to pursue his own excellence. 

"Jerry Rice is still the GOAT." 

A fixture in the documentary, Brady conducted a sit-down interview Rice during the episode. Like Brady, Rice said that the secret to his success was in the dirt. His peerless work ethic led to him becoming unquestionably the best receiver of his era, but any era. 

While their greatness can be debated, everyone can agree that Rice is to receivers what Brady is to quarterbacks. Both players at the top of their proverbial food chains. 

Rice is the NFL's all-time career leader in receptions (1,549) and receiving yards. His 22,895 receiving yards are 5,403 more than Larry Fitzgerald, who is second all time behind Rice in both categories. Rice's 197 career touchdown receptions are 41 more than the next closest receiver, Randy Moss. 

Speaking of Moss, Brady helped him break one of Rice's most iconic records in 2007, when Moss broke Rice's single-season touchdown receptions mark. Moss caught 23 that season, one more than Rice caught during the strike-shortened 1987 season. Rice caught 22 touchdowns in 12 games. 

Rice was at his best on the game's biggest stage. He is the Super Bowl's career leader in receiving yards (589) and touchdown catches (8). Rice's 215 receiving yards in Super Bowl XXIII remains a single-game Super Bowl record. He caught seven passes for 148 yards and three touchdowns a year later in Super Bowl XXIV and pulled down 10 passes for 149 yards and three scores in the 49ers' win over the Chargers in Super Bowl XXIX. He was truly a cut above the rest. 

In all, Rice won three Super Bowls with the 49ers before playing in a fourth Super Bowl with the Raiders. 

Brady tops the charts in career passing yards (89,214) and has nearly 9,000 more yards than Drew Brees, the second most prolific passer in league history. His 649 career touchdown passes are 78 more than Brees, who retired as the career leader in both categories before Brady passed him. 

Super Bowls, however, may define Brady's NFL career more than anything else. His seven Super Bowl wins are two more than any other franchise. He won a record five Super Bowl MVP awards and owns just about every Super Bowl career record and also owns the single-game record for passing yards (505). He also helped engineer the biggest comeback in Super Bowl history that was also the first Super Bowl to go to overtime. 

Another similarity between the two is how well they both played well into their 40s. 

Brady won two Super Bowls after turning 40 while becoming the second starting quarterback in NFL history to win a Super Bowl with multiple franchises. During his age-44 season, Brady led the NFL with 5,316 yards and 44 touchdown passes. 

At the age of 40, Rice earned his 13th Pro Bowl nod after catching 92 passes for 1,211 yards and seven touchdowns. He capped off that season with a 48-yard touchdown catch in the Super Bowl. 

While their careers did overlap, Brady and Rice never played together, which would have been similar to watching LeBron James and Michael Jordan join forces on the hardwood. And like LeBron/Jordan debate, any debate between Rice and Brady simply comes down to preference. 

For Brady, though, there is no debate to be had when it comes to the greatest football player of them all.