What does GOAT mean in the NFL?
What does it mean to be the GOAT?
GOAT is an acronym that stands for Greatest of All Time.
In the NFL, the GOAT is a player that performed consistently at the top with one of the highest records and stats as an individual and as a team.
It is not a manageable title to achieve; there is hard work and beating unbelievable records to receive the designation. It is for players that are not just the best but the all-time best. The players that qualify for the label need to surpass generations of great players.
Where did GOAT come from?
For more than half a millennium, the term "goat" referenced nothing more than an animal, but now it has officially claimed a second entrance in the Merriam-Webster dictionary.
In recent years, the honor was popularized by fans in response to great plays or achievements by an individual player. The term originates from Muhammad Ali, after an unexpected victory of his in 1974. Ali said:
"I told you today, I'm still the greatest of all time. Never again defeat me. Never again say that I'm going to be defeated. Never again make me the underdog until I'm about 50 years old. Then you might get me."
His wife later coined the phrase "Greatest of all time" and created a GOAT LLC.
Why is Tom Brady the GOAT?
Last Sunday, Tom Brady reached yet another milestone in his career and the NFL. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback threw three touchdown passes, leading his team to their first Super Bowl in 20 years.
The 43-year-old now possesses seven rings; he has the most rings than any other team in the NFL.
This Super Bowl would be Brady's first without the New England Patriots. He received his other six rings with New England, and questions surrounded him as to whether he could take a different team to the Super Bowl.
After the Super Bowl win, stars like LeBron James congratulated Brady for winning and being the GOAT.
Brady proved, without a doubt, why he is considered the GOAT in the NFL.
Tampa Bay overcame their 31-9 rut in Super Bowl 55 on Sunday night against Kansas City, with Brady winning QB in 13 percent of all Super Bowls. He can now claim more titles in the NFL.
Arguably, Brady first got referenced as the GOAT after engineering the Patriots' epic comeback from 28-3 down against the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl 51. Four years and two more rings later, Brady earned his title.
Brady not only sealed his seventh ring, but he did so at the age of 43. He is ahead of the next player in wins by two and one ahead of the most successful team in NFL history.