This quarterback is now tied with Tom Brady for the most-ever pro football titles

Tom Brady is widely known as the most decorated quarterback in NFL history, winning a record seven Super Bowls in his 23 years in the league. 

But thanks to a rule change this week, a Pro Football Hall of Famer is now tied with Brady for the most ever pro football championship wins. 

Why are NFL records changing? 

The backstory:

The NFL owners approved a proposal by Competition Committee on Tuesday to incorporate player, coach and team statistics from the All-America Football Conference into the official NFL records.

The AAFC existed from 1946-49, competing directly with the NFL before it folded. The Cleveland Browns, the San Francisco 49ers and the original Baltimore Colts joined the NFL in 1950, but the Colts disbanded after one year before returning as a new franchise in 1953.

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The AAFC had published a statistical supplement after its final season in 1949 that included single-game records, but scoresheets from all the individual games weren't available at the time. But those scoresheets have now been recovered and after consultation with the Elias Sports Bureau and the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the stats are now part of the official record.

Who is tied with Tom Brady for the most championships? 

Dig deeper:

According to CBS Sports, the Browns won all four of the AAFC championships from 1946 to 1949, led by quarterback Otto Graham. Now that those titles are recognized, Graham adds four championships to the three NFL titles he won with the Browns in 1950, 1954, and 1955. With seven championships, Graham and Brady are now tied for the most titles in NFL history. 

Graham was inducted in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1965. For his career, he passed for 23,584 yards with 174 passing touchdowns and 44 rushing. He died in 2003 at 82, The Associated Press reports. 

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Brady, meanwhile, retired in 2023 as the NFL’s all-time leader in passing yards (89,214). He had 649 touchdown passes and 15 Pro Bowl appearances, according to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers website. 

Coincidentally, Brady and Graham each played in 10 championship games, both with a 7-3 record. But Brady still keeps the record for the most Super Bowl appearances and wins – because the first Super Bowl wasn’t until 1967, and the NFL is planning to list the AAFC champions separately in the record book.