22 years ago, Tom Brady was just a number. Number 199 to be exact, because that’s how long Brady had to wait before the New England Patriots drafted him in the 6th round of the 2000 NFL draft. He also had to watch six other quarterbacks get their name called ahead of him. Those quarterbacks were Chad Pennington, Giovanni Carmazzi, Chris Redman, Tee Martin, Marc Bulger, and Spurgeon Wynn. That group is now infamously known as the Brady Six. Over the course of the next 22 years, Tom Brady went from the low-profile 6th round quarterback out of Michigan to having the best career in NFL history that included 7 Super Bowl titles, and becoming the all-time leader in passing yards. He made his official retirement announcement on Tuesday February 1st, 2022.
Tom Brady went to college at the University of Michigan from 1996 to 1999. In his first two years with the Wolverines, Brady was backup quarterback to Brain Griesse, which included the 1997 season that saw Griesse lead the Wolverines to an undefeated season, and a National Championship. Brady earned the starting quarterback job for the 1998 and 1999 seasons and led the Wolverines to the Citrus Bowl in his first season, and the Orange Bowl in his second. Michigan won both games. Brady ended his time in Michigan placed 3rd in school history in pass attempts (710), 3rd in completions (442), 4th in school history in passing yards (5,351), 4th in completion percentage (62.3), and 5th in passing touchdowns (35).
When the Patriots drafted Brady in the 6th round, they weren’t exactly looking for a franchise QB. In fact, Brady was 4th on the QB depth chart behind starter Drew Bledsoe, and backups John Friesz, and Michael Bishop for the 2000 season. Tom Brady took over as starting QB of the Patriots after Bledsoe got injured in week two of the 2001 season. Brady then proceeded to lead the Patriots to a victory in the Super Bowl. This was New England’s first ever Super Bowl title. Drew Bledsoe was traded to Buffalo during the 2002 off-season, which paved the way for Brady to be the starting quarterback for the New England Patriots in the 2002 season. 2002 proved to be an underwhelming year for Brady and the Patriots as the team went 9-7 and missed the playoffs. The following year, the Patriots would return back to dominance as they would go on to win the Super Bowl in the 2003 season, and repeated as Super Bowl champions in 2004.
Brady’s first MVP season came in 2007 when he led the Patriots to an undefeated regular season, and a trip to Super Bowl 42. The Patriots ultimately lost to Eli Manning and the Giants in Super Bowl 42, which included the famous Eli Manning to David Tyree helmet catch. This ended the Patriots quest to perfection. Brady led the Patriots back to the Super Bowl in 2011, but lost once again to Manning and the Giants in Super Bowl 46. Brady and the Patriots finally won their next Super Bowl when they defeated the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl 49. Brady’s finest hour came in Super Bowl 51 when he led the Patriots to victory over the Atlanta Falcons who had blown a 28-3 lead over the Patriots. Brady won his 4th Super Bowl MVP and his 5th Super Bowl title. The Patriots lost Super Bowl 52 to Nick Foles and the Philadelphia Eagles, but rebounded the next year to win Super Bowl 53 against the Los Angeles Rams. Brady finished his time with the New England Patriots following the end of the 2019 season. The Patriots went to 9 Super Bowls, and 6 titles with Brady as Quarterback and Bill Belichick as head coach. Eli Manning, and Nick Foles are the only quarterbacks to beat Tom Brady in a Super Bowl.
Brady spent his final two seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He led Tampa Bay to the Super Bowl in the 2020 season, and emerged victorious against Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs with a 31-9 victory. Super Bowl 55 was Brady’s 10th Super Bowl appearance, and his 7th win. He was awarded Super Bowl MVP for a record 5th time. In his second and final season with the Buccaneers, Brady led Tampa Bay to their first NFC South Division title since 2007. He also passed Drew Brees for most all-time passing yards (84,520), became the first quarterback to throw 600 regular season touchdowns (624), and the first quarterback to throw 700 touchdowns regular season and postseason combined (707). He is a co-favorite for the 2021 NFL MVP Award.
Brady finished his career holding NFL records for most quarterback wins (243), passing yards (84,520), regular season touchdowns (624), combined touchdowns for postseason and regular season (707) and combined passing yards for postseason and regular season (96,969), and many more. He also holds the record for most Super Bowl victories as a player (7), most Super Bowl appearances (10), and most Super Bowl MVP awards (5). He also won the NFL MVP Award 3 times (2007, 2010, 2017).
His retirement puts an exclamation point to the greatest QB era ever with Eli Manning, Phillip Rivers, Drew Brees, Ben Roethlisberger, and now Brady all retiring within the last three years.
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