Tom Brady had some pretty strong words to say about the state of the NFL on Monday. Despite hanging up his boots for the final time less than a year ago, the legendary quarterback already feels that the level has deteriorated since his departure.

"I think there's a lot of mediocrity in today's NFL," declared the former New York Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers star on the Stephen A Smith Show at the beginning of the week.

Brady explained how he thinks the fundamentals of the game are changing, something he's not happy about. "Offensive players need to protect themselves," began the former quarterback.

"It's not up to a defensive player to protect an offensive player. A defensive player needs to protect himself. I didn't throw the ball to certain areas because I was afraid a player was going to get knocked out. That's the reality."

Despite many agreeing with Brady's frustrations, to some extent the comments have come as a bit of a surprise, especially given that Brady retired only a matter of months ago and that the quarterback himself benefited from the precise regulations he criticized- especially the roughing the passer penalty rule.

Fans can expect plenty more Brady opinions to come. He's due to start his role as a broadcaster with Fox in 2024.