Sometimes, accepting a challenge means watching someone else take the hit. Former New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning thought he was starting a harmless contest online. Instead, his older brother Peyton Manning became collateral damage in Tom Brady’s ruthless clapbacks.

The chaos began innocently enough at Super Bowl LX, where the NFL honored legendary quarterbacks before the Seattle Seahawks–New England Patriots clash at Levi’s Stadium. Eli posted a photo with Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning in the center and himself alongside Tom Brady, flanking his older brother, launching a caption contest.

The ‘battle’ started with Eli Manning tagging the photo with the caption imitating Brady saying, “Hey guys, come watch this video of me getting into these skinny jeans.”

FOX Sports lead analyst Tom Brady couldn’t resist. He unleashed a barrage of Instagram story responses that somehow turned Eli’s playful challenge into a roast session, with Peyton as the primary target.

“No Eli I’m zoomed all the way out… we still can’t fit Peyton’s head,” Brady wrote in his first story, reviving his long-running jokes about Peyton’s forehead.

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But the GOAT wasn’t finished.

A separate story flexed his championship pedigree. “Guys I don’t care which calculator app you use, 7>2+2,” Brady wrote.

The math is brutal. Tom Brady’s seven Super Bowl rings tower over the Manning brothers’ combined four (two for Eli and Peyton each). Then, Tom Brady went a step further, adding another story where he called Peyton and Eli his fans.

“I’d like to take a selfie with my fans!” Brady wrote. “Okay, on the count of three say ‘Seven’”.

Brady, having the time of his life coming up with these creative jabs, even proposed making this torture a weekly tradition in his last Instagram story. Peyton, standing there in the original photo, had become the punchline despite Eli starting the whole thing. It was classic Tom Brady: competitive fire burning bright even in retirement, finding new ways to twist the knife in while smiling.

This latest exchange reveals how these legends have transitioned their battles from the gridiron to social media. Brady had once before trolled Eli by slapping a “$0” price tag on his trading card, only for the Manning brothers to fire back with their own jabs. The banter never stops because the rivalry, despite its friendly exchanges, still carries an unparalleled weight.

The rivalry that refuses to die

Understanding why Tom Brady went nuclear on the Manning brothers (Peyton specifically) requires revisiting the old scoreboards for sure. Against Peyton, Brady dominated with an 11-6 head-to-head record during their 17 career meetings. Now, the numbers favor Brady, even if Manning edged him slightly in statistical efficiency when adjusting for the defensive quality both quarterbacks faced.

But Eli Manning? He’s Brady’s Kryptonite. Two Super Bowl meetings and two Manning victories, including the 2008 upset that destroyed New England’s perfect season with a 17-14 New York Giants win. The Helmet Catch from that game remains one of the most iconic plays in NFL history, with David Tyree securing the ball against his helmet on a third-and-five that kept the championship drive alive for Manning.

Four years later, Eli did it again. His 88-yard scoring drive in the final minutes, culminating in a 21-17 Super Bowl XLVI victory, cemented his legacy as Tom Brady’s ultimate foil. Eli posted a 73.1 QBR with 296 passing yards on 30 of 40 attempts and a 103.8 passer rating in that game.

Now, they’re rivals on different networks. Brady continues his football journey with FOX while Eli’s on ManningCast with Peyton. The battlefield has changed, but that old competitive edge remains sharp. Brady’s seven rings give him the ultimate bragging rights, but he will forever be haunted by the two that got away courtesy of the younger Manning.

But these aren’t retired athletes clinging to past glory. They’re football mammoths using their rivalry to entertain and inspire a new generation. Tom Brady’s dig at Peyton Manning in Eli’s caption contest proves one thing: champions never stop competing, even when the only thing at stake is Instagram supremacy.