The connection is obvious.
Bay Area native Tom Brady grew up watching Joe Montana lead his beloved San Francisco 49ers to four Super Bowl titles, only to see "Cool Joe" leave for the Kansas City Chiefs in his second-to-last season after requesting a trade.
Fast forward to 2020, where Brady essentially pulled a Montana: leaving the New England Patriots after winning six Super Bowl titles in 20 seasons to sign a two-year contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
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So, it's fair to wonder how Brady feels about doing the same thing to Patriots fans as his childhood hero did to him, and if the 42-year-old relates to Montana finishing his career elsewhere.
Here's how Brady responded to that question Tuesday in his introductory conference call:
I was at Joe's last game at Candlestick Park. I actually went up there and saw it with my friends, and I'll never forget that. He was an incredible player -- he and Steve Young were my quarterback idols growing up.
I just think life continues to change for all of us, and just having the opportunity for me to continue to play football and lead a team is something that I love doing. I've loved playing this sport since I was a kid, since I was throwing footballs in the parking lot at Candlestick. And I still love doing that today.
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Brady was an expert in New England at deflecting controversial questions, and he clearly hasn't lost his touch.
The 20-year veteran seemed wary of comparing himself to Montana, vaguely suggesting that everyone's life is different and that his decision was unique to himself.
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Brady then quickly changed the subject, explaining how he's training hard in anticipation of a new challenge in Tampa Bay.
"I'm just excited to embrace this opportunity and see it for what it is," Brady said, "which is a lot of guys that have been a part of this team and they want to be the best that they can be, and they want to achieve the highest goal."
Brady clearly wants to chart his own path, but we're guessing he wouldn't mind following in his idol's footsteps: Montana missed five games due to injury during his first season in Kansas City but went 8-3 as the Chiefs' starter and guided the club to the AFC Championship Game.