Former NFL star and Hall of Famer Peyton Manning surprised many when he joined Instagram earlier on Thursday. This is Manning’s first dive into the world of social media, which caused many, including friend and former rival, Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady, to poke fun at him. Brady’s joke at Manning’s expense included a well-timed retirement joke.
I already had an instagram…so I just unretired when I got bored…😂 Welcome Peyton! https://t.co/gtz3AFwf8H
— Tom Brady (@TomBrady) March 24, 2022
The Denver Broncos, who Manning played for from 2012 to 2015, posted a video on their Twitter account of Peyton announcing to a room that he had just posted his first TikTok. Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady took advantage of the opportunity to make a joke at his good friend’s expense.
Brady subtly trolled Manning for not being on Instagram sooner, noting that he himself already had one. Then, the Buccaneers star expertly trolled himself, saying that all he has to do to utilize Instagram again is “unretire.”
That’s a nod to Brady’s own offseason, which saw him announce his own retirement from the NFL too soon, only to later announce that he was returning for to play for the Buccaneers in 2022.
Perhaps Manning and Brady, who had a competitive rivalry on the NFL field, will take their friendly competition to the world of Instagram?
Time will tell. One thing is for sure. Instagram just got more exciting with Peyton Manning now joining the fun.