Jun 8, 2026, 1:30 PM CUT
"You'll Always Live In My Shadow": When Tom Brady Destroyed Peyton Manning

Feb 8, 2026; Santa Clara, CA, USA; Tom Brady (left) and Peyton Manning before Super Bowl LX between the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
Feb 8, 2026; Santa Clara, CA, USA; Tom Brady (left) and Peyton Manning before Super Bowl LX between the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
NFL rivalries are always fun, but the back-and-forth between former Super Bowl winners Tom Brady and Peyton Manning is legendary. That rivalry did not end with their on-field careers, and the two never miss a chance to take a shot at each other, all in good humor.
Manning did just that while attending The Greatest Roast of All Time: Tom Brady, which premiered on Netflix in May 2024, and took the opportunity to go all out with his digs. But Brady didn’t take it lying down.
After finally taking the stage, Tom Brady thanked Manning for attending the show and said, “I know sometimes you live in Denver and sometimes you live in Louisiana, but you'll always live in my shadow."
He followed it up with another jab at the Hall of Fame QB’s age, along with a dig at his status as a “legend”.
“When I heard there was a slow, white Bronco heading down the 4:05 to come here tonight, I thought we might actually see a real football legend,” Brady added.
The jab was definitely funny and perfectly fit their dynamic. Manning had already cracked several jokes that night, praising and snubbing Brady in equal measures.
“Honestly, it is great to be here with a bunch of people sitting around talking smack about Tom Brady,” Manning said. “Or as we call that in the Manning family: Thanksgiving. True story, after spending several Thanksgivings with my parents, my kids now excuse themselves to use the bathroom by saying 'I have to go take a Brady.”
The former NFL legend also brought up Brady’s complicated relationship with coach Bill Belichick, talking about how the coach was going to appear on Manning’s football show Manningcast.
"I've got to tell you, it's going to be awesome. Eli and I are super excited, and it's going to give Coach Belichick something he hasn't had in a while: the chance to be around quarterbacks that he respects," he said.
The ultimate burn came when Manning joked about Brady’s hair transplants, the failure of his health and wellness company, and his NFL controversies, comparing it to how the former Patriots player surpassed him.
Brady took it all in stride, and was seen laughing throughout the whole roast. Coach Belichick, who was also in attendance, shared in the fun as well, showing that all of them had left their differences in the past.
But this isn’t the only time the two legendary players had butted heads.
Manning’s Tom Brady Mention In His Hall Of Fame Speech
Peyton Manning was inducted into the Hallowed Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2021. But the veteran player couldn’t resist the opportunity to brag a little about one-upping his long-time rival Tom Brady, who was in the audience during the ceremony.
He addressed the room and said, “Speaking of rivals, my good friend Tom Brady is here tonight. By the time Tom Brady is inducted in his first year of eligibility in the year 2035, he’ll only have time to post his acceptance speech on his Instagram account.”
But the comment wasn’t random. It was a response to Brady’s own X (formerly Twitter) post, where he claimed to be attending the HoFer’s acceptance ceremony to make sure that the former Colts and Broncos player really was retiring, once and for all.
What do you think of Manning and Brady’s friendly rivalry? Let us know in the comments.
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Written by
Arundhoti Palit
Edited by
Arundhoti Palit