Tom Brady had a career that was Hall of Fame worthy in his 40s, having the most passing yards (22,938) and touchdown passes (168) by any player age 40 or over — culminated with three Super Bowl titles and an MVP award (oldest player to win it).
Brady was also a legendary receiver in his 40s — sort of. The future Hall of Fame quarterback is one of just three players to ever catch a pass in his 40s, joining Jerry Rice and Brett Favre on the exclusive list. Brady’s 6 receiving yards in his 40s trail only Rice for second-most in NFL history.
Here’s the career numbers for all the players that caught a pass in their 40s:
Player | Catches | Yards | Receiving TDs |
Jerry Rice | 161 | 2,169 | 10 |
Tom Brady | 1 | 6 | |
Brett Favre | 1 | -2 |
Rice actually made a Pro Bowl in the year he turned 40, finishing with 92 catches for 1,211 yards and seven touchdowns for the Oakland Raiders in 2002. He had 14 catches and 203 yards and two touchdowns that postseason, including five catches for 77 yards and a touchdown in Super Bowl XXXVII (one that went for 48 yards in the fourth quarter of that game).
Outside of Rice, no wide receiver has ever caught a pass after turning 40. Brady caught his 6-yard pass at 41 years old for the New England Patriots in 2018. The catch was on a reverse from Julian Edelman, where Brady tripped and fell at the end of the play.
Certainly better than his infamous drop in the loss to the Eagles in Super Bowl LII
Based on NFL history, Brady is the second greatest receiver for a player 40 and over. The numbers do not lie.
