Manning, Favre Weigh in on Brady, Gronkowski Joining Bucs

There are few NFL quarterbacks that became franchise pillars like Tom Brady was for New England, and fewer still that left their teams late in their careers. In recent memory, Brett Favre and Peyton Manning followed this path ahead of Brady and now are weighing in on his move to Tampa Bay.

Favre, who left the Packers for stints in Minnesota and New York, actually encouraged Brady to make the move if it felt right (via the Athletic's Greg Auman):

Everybody talking Bucs and Tom Brady today. Brett Favre, on @SiriusXMNFL, said he saw Brady at Super Bowl: "I just said, 'Hey, if you're thinking about going elsewhere,' I said, 'Go for it.' And he asked me if I had it to do over again, would I do it the same way. And I would."
— Greg Auman (@gregauman) April 22, 2020

Favre had some success after leaving Green Bay, leading the Vikings to the NFC Championship game in 2009. His encouragement of Brady is not too surprising given the seemingly acrimonious separation he had with the Packers that mirrors Brady's own frosty departure from New England.

Manning left the Colts after 13 seasons, a Super Bowl ring and a neck injury that robbed him of the 2011 season and likely shortened his career. He then joined the Denver Broncos and won four division titles and Super Bowl 50.

The two-time Super Bowl champion seems to think that Brady and Gronkowski will have similar success in Tampa (via Auman):

Peyton Manning, on 104.3 The Fan in Denver this morning, asked his advice for Tom Brady, changing teams late in career: "I don't think Tom needs any advice from me. They've got Gronkowski now, so they're going to win the Super Bowl for sure. There's no advice necessary from me."
— Greg Auman (@gregauman) April 22, 2020

The ring count looms over Manning's advice-giving concession. The future Hall-of-Famer may have broken records as a quarterback, but he never could match Brady's knack for championships, winning just two to Brady's six.

Manning also had some interesting comments on Bucs head coach Bruce Arians, who was his quarterback coach in Indianapolis at the start of his career (via Auman):

Peyton Manning joking on 104.3 The Fan in Denver: "Arians was my coach when I threw those 28 interceptions as a rookie. He didn't put that in his book, I don't think, as the QB Whisperer, but he was my coach. To me, he's got to be a part of those 28 picks. It can all just be me."
— Greg Auman (@gregauman) April 22, 2020

Arians' quarterbacks do have a tendency to throw a lot passes to the opposite team in their first year in his offense. However, Brady threw fewer interceptions in the past four years than Jameis Winston threw just in 2019, so the trend may not stick with the Bucs' new quarterback.