Being rivals during their peak professional careers, it’s difficult to imagine Peyton Manning and Tom Brady becoming close friends. Brady and the New England Patriots played in 17 games, winning 11 of them. On the football field, though, Manning shared that rivalry, as Brady did when he was inducted into the Patriots Hall of Fame.
He disclosed the way that their bond was established over their 2009 offseason time together:
“We met in a small town in Tennessee. I said, ‘Tom, let’s kind of reel under the radar. Don’t tell anybody we’re coming in.’ Tom flies in on Mr. Kraft’s plane, a big huge plane. I’m like, ‘That is not what I said. I said under the radar.’”
Tom Brady and Peyton Manning talking about when they became close friends is so wholesome. Great storytelling here…pic.twitter.com/wkJkYQHWKX
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) June 14, 2024
To stay active throughout that offseason, Manning and Tom Brady lifted weights and played golf, according to other revelations. Throwing routes with wide receivers from a nearby high school helped the two outstanding quarterbacks hone their skills.
Brady and Manning, however, seized their phones and instructed the students not to disclose that they were there exercising together because camera phones were already popular at the time. Football fans may find it difficult to accept two rivals enjoying time together outside of their rivalry-filled games, given that this was the height of their rivalry.
It’s possible that spending those two days together improved their performance on the field. In 2009, Brady won Comeback Player of the Year despite missing all but one game the previous season due to an ACL rupture he sustained from a tackle by Kansas City Chiefs safety Bernard Pollard. Manning received his fourth MVP award.
