Tom Brady’s run went under the radar coming out of college, but he became arguably the face of the sport by the end of the 2000s. By the end of the 2010s, it was clear that he was the face of the NFL to most.
Decades later, however, the former New England Patriots quarterback still turns heads in random appearances. After half a year, the former quarterback gave arguably his biggest appearance of the offseason in a surprise appearance on Wednesday.
Brady was asked on the New Heights podcast whether he believed he or Bill Belichick was more important to the two decades of dominance in the NFL. He gave credit to himself on Sundays, but gave Belichick credit for the rest of the week.
“‘Is it Bill? Is it Tom?’ Who is responsible for the greatest era of success in the history of the NFL? How do you react to those clickbaity arguments?” Travis Kelce, who was also on the show, asked.
“There was nobody better (at coaching),” Brady responded. “It was my privilege to play for him as his quarterback. There’s no coach I would rather choose. I think it’s just a dumb analogy. It’s like, ‘What’s more important, the left tackle or the center?’ Like, I don’t know, you need both.
“I think like the coach-quarterback, there’s nobody more important to winning Monday through Saturday than the head coach, and then there’s nobody more important on Sunday than the quarterback. Everybody’s important.”
Brady’s statement should go a long way toward settling the debate. Of course, the post-Brady era for Bill Belichick since the two separated after the 2019 season has not gone according to plan.
Tom Brady Vs. Bill Belichick Since Separation
The two dominated the league from 2001 through the 2019 season. In that time, the franchise enjoyed six Super Bowl rings and several more trips to the big game. Brady lost the AFC East just once in his career (2002).
Since the two separated after the 2019 season, the quarterback went on to win one more ring in 2020. In his penultimate season at 43, he led the NFL in touchdown passes and passing yards before retiring at 45.
Belichick, meanwhile, joined the North Carolina Tar Heels in 2025 and posted a 4-8 record in his first season. To many, the 2026 season will be Belichick’s last gasp to salvage any argument that he was more important than Brady.
Before his role with the Tar Heels, he posted just one winning season without Brady in 2021. He finished under .500 in three other seasons, including a 4-13 performance in his final season on the team.
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