New England Patriots veteran quarterback Tom Brady congratulated New York Giants quarterback and nemesis Eli Manning on his retirement. On his Twitter account, Brady extended his best wishes to Manning, who decided to hang his cleats for good after a 16-year career with the Giants. “Congratulations on your retirement, and a great career Eli!” Brady said on Twitter. The 42-year-old quarterback followed it up with “Not going to lie though, I wish you hadn’t won any Super Bowls.”
Congratulations on your retirement, and a great career Eli! Not going to lie though, I wish you hadn’t won any Super Bowls.
— Tom Brady (@TomBrady) January 24, 2020Manning won his two Super Bowl rings at the Patriots expense as he beat them in both Super Bowl XLII in 2007 and Super Bowl XLVI in 2011.
In 2007, Manning ruined the Patriots’ attempt for a perfect season with a 17-14 win. In 2011, Manning frustrated the Patriots with a 21-17 win. In his Friday’s press conference where he officially announced his retirement, Manning reacted to Brady’s tweet. "I’ve been around Tom. I know how competitive he is. We joke around about this a little bit ... But it’s not real funny to him,” said Manning, per TMZ Sports.
Mannings formed a rivalry with Brady
Eli and his older brother Peyton had formed a rivalry with Brady during their respective careers. Brady and the Patriots had been the thorn in the side of Peyton, who also won two Super Bowl rings in his career with the Indianapolis Colts and the Denver Broncos.
Brady, for his part, has won six Super Bowl rings and is eyeing a seventh Lombardi Trophy, but it is unclear if he will return to the Patriots next season. Eli ended his career as the Giants’ record holder in terms of attempts (8,119), completions (4,895), passing yards (57,023), and touchdowns (366). According to Giants president John Mara, the team will induct Manning into the Giants Ring of Honor and retire his No.
10 jersey soon.
Amendola speaks about Brady’s future
Wide receiver Danny Amendola played five seasons with Brady in New England, winning two Super Bowl rings in the process. During that time, Amendola developed a close bond with Brady together with another veteran wideout in Julian Edelman. On Friday’s “SportsCenter” on ESPN, Amendola shared his thoughts about Brady’s first foray into free agency.
“It’s going to go however he wants, I think,” said Amendola, who is now a free agent after stints with the Miami Dolphins and the Detroit Lions in the past two seasons. Amendola said family will be foremost when Brady makes his decision on his future and his playing destination.”I think as his kids get older — Vivi, Jack and Benny — he wants to spend more time with his family,” he stressed. The veteran wideout said that wherever Brady goes, he expects the veteran quarterback to bring his competitive nature and a high level of football. Like many other players and experts, Amendola said it’s hard for him to imagine seeing Brady wearing another uniform other than a Patriots jersey. “I’m holding on just like everybody else is,” Amendola said. Experts have declared that the Patriots give Brady the best chance to succeed compared to teams such as the Los Angeles Chargers and the soon-to-be Las Vegas Raiders.
