Tom Brady Congratulates Eli Manning on Retirement With Funny Tweet About Super Bowl Wins

The modern football world lost one of the great ones on Friday when New York Giants legend Eli Manning announced that he was retiring from the game after 16 years in the league.

Manning's retirement has prompted tributes from all across the NFL landscape, including one from New England Patriots QB Tom Brady, who failed to beat Eli in two Super Bowl matchups against his Giants. Brady congratulated Eli on Twitter, but also threw in one Super Bowl-related barb at him to give it some humor.

Imagine what Patriots Nation would have looked like without Eli getting in their way. Brady would have eight Super Bowls if not for Manning's clutch late comebacks.

Eli's Hall of Fame case is a tricky one, considering he never put up the most gaudy statistical numbers (his career passer rating is lower than Jameis Winston and Jay Cutler). However, Manning does have his 16 years with the Giants, 57,000 passing yards, and two Super Bowl rings/MVPs under his belt.

Eli may not be the most beloved figure by the stat nerds on Twitter, but contemporaries like Brady have acknowledged the great career that Eli has authored over this past decade and a half. No. 10's presence in New York will be missed.