Tom Brady thinks today's NFL lacks excellence and is full of mediocrity.
The future Hall of Famer was a guest on The Stephen A. Smith Show, and he reflected on the league's on-field product, which he felt needed some work due to how different the game is now.
"I think there's a lot of mediocrity in today's NFL," Brady said about the league. "I don't see the excellence that I saw in the past."
He continued, "I think the coaching isn't as good as it was. I don't think the development of young players is as good as it was."
The seven-time Super Bowl champion also stated that the rules have greatly impacted the game and "allowed a lot of bad habits to get into the actual performance of the game." He also reiterated that he thinks the product is less than what it was back when he was playing.
Brady also mentioned NFL greats such as Ray Lewis, Rodney Harrison, and Ronnie Lott who changed the game with their play. "Every hit they would have made would have been a penalty," Brady said.
He added, "You hear coaches complaining about their own player being tackled. Why don't they talk to their player about how to protect themselves? Offensive players need to protect themselves."
"I didn't throw the ball to certain areas because I was afraid players were gonna get knocked out," he continued. "That's the reality. I didn't throw it to the middle when I played Ray Lewis because he'd knock them out of the game, and I couldn't afford to lose a good player."
Tom Brady officially retired from the NFL in February after spending 23 seasons with the New England Patriots and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He won seven Super Bowl rings, five Super Bowl MVPs, three NFL MVPs, and more.
