Tom Brady and Drew Brees squared off a few times during their storied careers. Brees typically got the best of Brady in those contests — he was 5-2 against him in the regular season. but Buccaneers fans probably remember the two players’ playoff battle in 2020 that saw Brady come out on top en route to a Super Bowl win.

Now, though, both are retired. Brees dabbled in broadcasting a little bit after his retirement, but doesn’t do it at the moment — Brady, meanwhile, started his broadcasting career in 2024, and his debut has gotten some mixed reviews from NFL fans.

New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees and Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady greet after the game. / Kim Klement-Imagn Images

Brees tried his hand at it himself, and he stuck up for Brady when asked about how his broadcast career has been going so far.

“He got a chance to call a lot of huge games throughout the year in that primetime FOX slot,” Brees said. “Obviously he’s a guy who’s pretty well qualified to do it.”

The two were briefly rivals in the NFC South for just one year, but even so, the two competitors have a lot of respect for one another. And in this case, Brees made sure to give Brady his props.