Legendary quarterback Joe Montana gave his vote for GOAT and it wasn’t Tom Brady. So, who was it?

A legendary quarterback and one who won everything there is to win and then some, the former 49ers icon can be considered an authority on the game. Indeed, that’s precisely why his opinion on who is the best signal caller in history is worth taking into consideration.

Joe Montana believes the Dolphins’ Dan Marino is the GOAT

When it comes to modern football fans, it’s quite likely - even if you’re speaking to a critic - that you will hear Tom Brady’s name mentioned almost immediately. With countless accolades and records to his name, as well as seven Super Bowl rings - that’s a record too - Brady is the logical vote when it comes to the question of who is the ‘Greatest of All Time.’ On the other hand, if you ask Pro Football Hall of Famer Joe Montana, a man who ironically has seen his own name mentioned in the GOAT conversation, it’s neither he nor Brady. To be clear, Montana won four Super Bowls and was named MVP of the big game on three occasions. His 40,551 passing yards only serve to punctuate the point.

Yet, to hear Montana tell it, that title belongs to none other than former Miami Dolphins legend and fellow Pro Football Hall of Fame alumni, Dan Marino. It’s worth noting at this point that the idea of Greatest vs. Best is a nuanced conversation. Consider for a moment former Green Bay Packers star and current New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers. The four-time MVP has often been regarded as a better QB than Brady, however, when it comes to accolades, there is no comparison with TB12. Of course, it would be silly to believe that someone such as Montana didn’t take that into consideration before he spoke. “He had a quick release, I had to step into a lot of things to get enough [force] on the ball,” Montana said when making his case for Marino. “He had the perfect torque of his upper body and strength to deliver the ball quickly at a fast release with accuracy.”

Who was Dan Marino?

Flamboyant while being enigmatic, Marino was the kind of quarterback who was hard not to like. From his curly hair and borderline nonchalant attitude when it came to opposing defensive lines, to his unbridled talent, he was one for the ages. When it comes to his greatest moment, that would have to be his 1984 NFL MVP season. Quite frankly, that campaign was probably the greatest ever by a quarterback before the 21st century got rolling. Take a moment to appreciate that Marino threw 5,084 yards and 48 touchdowns that season, at a time when protection for quarterbacks was not what it is today i.e., a linebacker could hit them even after the ball had been passed. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that in that season, he became the first player ever to throw for either 5,000 yards in a season or 45 or more passing touchdowns in a single season. Needless to say, his final tally of 48 touchdowns still ranks among the all-time single-season records as it is currently tied for fifth with Rodgers’ 2020 season.

“Put Marino into today’s game where he gets free release...and his receivers, holy cow, weren’t very big,” Montana said. “Now these guys are 6′4, 6′5. I think [Marino] is probably one of the most unsung heroes of the game. People don’t talk enough about him or realize the numbers that he put up during the times that he put them up.” If you didn’t know, Marino retired with the most career passing yards (61,361) and passing touchdowns (420) of all time following a career that lasted 17 seasons between 1983 and 1999. Today, his passing yards sit at No. 8 on the list of most ever, while his passing touchdowns are seventh on the list of all time.