Tom Brady's NFL Journey: A Look at His Legendary Career Length

Brady Records as a quarterback 

Tom Brady holds a longstanding list of groundbreaking game records. They include:

1. Most career passing yards
2. Most pass completions
3. Most touchdown passes
4. Most games started.
5. NFL Leader in career quarterback wins, quarterback regular season wins and quarterback playoff wins.
6. Most Super Bowl Most Valuable Player{MVP} Awards with 5 of them.
7. Only Super Bowl MVP for two different franchises.
8. Most Pro Bowl selections
9. First unanimous NFL MVP.
10. Only quarterback to win a Super Bowl in 3 separate decades.
11. Oldest NFL MVP at age 40.
12. Oldest Super Bowl MVP at age 43.
13. Oldest quarterback selected to the Pro Bowl at age 44.
14. Only NFL quarterback to be named to two all-decade teams (2000s and 2010s).
15. Receving a unanimous nod to the 100th Anniversary All-Time Team in 2019.
16. Brady’s unbridled work ethic, intelligence, obsessive-competitive spirit and pocket awareness enabled him to become one of the NFL’s most decorated and accomplished players as well as one of the greatest athletes.

2000: Patriots Select Brady in Sixth Round

New England Patriots v Baltimore Ravens, Tom Brady//Getty

The New England Patriots selected Tom Brady with the 199th pick of the 2000 NFL Draft out of the University of Michigan. He was a lightly regarded prospect coming out of college with unimpressive NFL Scouting Combine performance, resulting in him been chosen as a depth behind starter Drew Bledsoe.  

2001: Brady Replaces Injured Drew Bledsoe, Wins First Super Bowl in Sports History

A turn for the worse for Bledsoe in 2001 after a hit by Mo Lewis early in the season provided Brady with a chance to take the reins of the Patriots’ offense. While Brady's first season as a rookie wasn't outstanding from a statistical standpoint. However, he his job diligently as a replacement and did enough with New England's offense to guide the Patriots to one of the all-time stunning Super Bowl wins and the franchise's first championship.

2002: Tipsy Tavy Season and Lack of Post Season Berth

Brady and the Patriots finished the season with a record of 9-7, tied with the New York Jets and Miami Dolphins for the best record in the division. However, they lost the division title to the Jets on tiebreakers. Additionally, the Patriots lost the tiebreaker to the Cleveland Browns for the final wild card spot, resulting in them missing the playoffs entirely. Although Brady posted a career-low single-season passer rating of 85.7 and a career-high of 14 interceptions, he threw for a league-leading 28 touchdown passes

2003: Brady, Patriots Win Second Super Bowl

Tom Brady in 2003 Super Bowl//Getty

After missing the playoffs in 2002, Brady rebounded by leading the Patriots to a 14-2 record in the 2003 regular season. New England climbed back to the pinnacle of the sport with a Super Bowl win over the Carolina Panthers, and Brady finished third in MVP voting.

2004: Patriots Win Back-To-Back Championships

Tom Brady in Super Bowl XXXVIII: Panthers v Patriots//Getty

Brady and the Patriots won 14 games again in the 2004 regular season and found their way right back to the top with a Super Bowl win over Andy Reid's Philadelphia Eagles. The 2003-2004 Patriots were the last NFL team to win back-to-back championships until the Kansas City Chiefs won Super Bowl LVII in February 2024.

2005: First Playoff Loss of his Career

Tom Brady in 2005 AFC Divisional Playoff Game//Getty

Brady finished the season with 4,110 yards and 26 touchdowns, the former of which led the league as the Patriots finished with a 10-6 record, winning their third straight AFC East title. He was named to his third Pro Bowl at the end of the season. In the Divisional Round, the Patriots lost 27-13 to the Denver Broncos resulting to his first playoff loss of his career after ten consecutive victories.

2006: More Post-Season Aches

Tom Brady in Indianapolis Colts v New England Patriots//Getty

Brady led the Patriots to a 12-4 record and the fourth seed in the AFC Playoffs. He finished the regular season with 3,529 yards and 24 touchdowns. Despite leading at halftime in the AFC Championship game, Brady’s archrival Peyton Manning led the Indianapolis Colts to a 38-34 victory, eliminating the Patriots from further contention.

2007: Undefeated Regular Season Ends in Super Bowl Disappointment

Tom Brady in New England Patriots v New York Giants//Getty

Brady turned in his best season to date, in 2007, completing just under 69% of his passes and tossing a ridiculous 50 touchdown passes on route to winning his 1st MVP. With an ultra-talented group around him including superstar wide receiver Randy Moss, Brady led the Patriots to a perfect 16-0 record. However, New England’s bid for perfection ended in disappointing fashion as the New York Giants stunned them 17-14 in Super Bowl XLII.

2008: Brady Tears ACL in Season Opener

Any hope for a revenge tour by the Patriots in 2008 was quashed when Brady suffered a devastating ACL tear in New England's season-opener. Matt Cassel helped guide New England to an 11-5 finish, but it wasn't enough to reach the playoffs in the AFC.

2009: Return from Injury

Tom Brady in Baltimore Ravens v New England Patriots//Getty

Brady finished the 2009 regular season with 4,398 yards passing and 28 touchdowns for a 96.2 rating on route to being named 2009 NFL Comeback Player of the Year. However, he suffered his 1st home playoff loss and the Patriots' first home playoff loss since 1978, in a 33-14 Wild Card Round loss to the Baltimore Ravens.

2010: Brady Earns Second MVP Award

After Brady bounced back from the ACL tear with a healthy 2009 season, he found a new gear in 2010 and threw just four interceptions on his way to a second MVP. The season ended without a playoff win, but a 14-2 record and Brady's nearly pristine year reinforced that the Patriots weren't fading away any time soon.

2011: Revenge Goes Sour as Brady and Patriots Suffer Another Super Bowl Loss to Giants

After a seven-year hiatus from their last Super Bowl win, the Patriots found themselves in prime position for the ultimate revenge championship against the Giants. However, Eli Manning and the New York Giants walked away with their second Super Bowl win in five years with a 21-17 victory at Super Bowl XVLI, handing Brady his second career Super Bowl Loss.

2012: Surpasses Joe Montana for most career playoff wins

Brady became the first quarterback to lead his team to 10 division titles during the season. The Patriots Divisional Round 41-28 win over the Houston Texans enabled Brady to overtake Joe Montana’s career playoff wins with 17 wins to his name.

2013: Contract Extension and More Records

On February 25, 2013, Brady and the Patriots agreed on a three-year contract extension ensuring he stayed put until 2017. In the Divisional Round matchup against the Indianapolis Colts, Brady made his 25th playoff appearance, breaking Brett Favre's career record for playoff appearances by a quarterback. 

2014: Fourth Super Bowl is Asterisked with the DeflateGate Scandal

Tom Brady in Super Bowl XLIX - New England Patriots v Seattle Seahawks//Getty

The 2014 season marked the end of Brady's championship drought, as the Patriots won a thriller over the Seahawks with the help of an iconic interception by Malcolm Butler. That run was also marred by the DeflateGate scandal, in which Brady and the Patriots were accused of deflating footballs below the NFL's limit. The investigation began shortly after the AFC championship, and it led to four-game suspension for Brady among other harsh penalties for the Patriots.

2015: Old Rival Denies Brady a Chance at a Second Career Super Bowl Two-Peat

Tom Brady in AFC Championship - New England Patriots v Denver Broncos//Getty

Stakes couldn’t have been any higher as Payton Manning and the Denver Broncos faced Brady and the Patriots for the AFC Championship. This happened at the Mile High in what turned out to be the 17th and final meeting between the two storied quarterbacks. However, Manning had the last laugh with the Broncos winning the nail baiter 20-18, thereby proceeding to face the Carolina Panthers at Super Bowl L.

2016: Brady Serves Deflate Gate Suspension, Leads Historic 28-3 Comeback in The Super Bowl

Tom Brady in TOPSHOT-AMFOOT-NFL-SUPERBOWL//Getty

After a series of appeals delayed Brady's suspension, the Patriots quarterback was forced to serve the ban to start the 2016 season. He returned a man possessed as his revenge tour saw him throw just two interceptions in 12 games, leading the Patriots to a historic comeback win over the Falcons in Super Bowl LI after falling behind 28-3.

2017: Brady, Patriots Denied Back-To-Back Titles

Super Bowl LII - Philadelphia Eagles v New England Patriots//Getty

Entering Super Bowl LII, the Patriots were favored to win a second consecutive Super Bowl having cakewalked throughout the 2017 season. However, another NFC East team, the Philadelphia Eagles got the better of them winning the shootout 41-33 to capture their first championship, knocking off the Patriots despite a Super Bowl-record 505 yards from Brady.

2018: Patriots Win Sixth Super Bowl in Defensive Battle

Tom Brady TOPSHOT-AMFOOT-NFL-SUPER-RAMS-PATRIOTS//Getty

The Patriots' third consecutive AFC championship resulted in Brady's sixth Super Bowl win, even though he struggled much more than he did in the loss to the Eagles a year earlier. New England defeated the Los Angeles Rams with a score of 13-3 at Super Bowl LII, holding Los Angeles out of the end zone and winning one last title during the Brady era.

2019: Final season of a Dynasty

Tom Brady Wild Card Round - Tennessee Titans v New England Patriots//Getty

The Patriots finished the regular season with a 12-4 record and won the AFC East for the 11th consecutive year and Brady passed Peyton Manning for the second-most touchdown passes in NFL history, with 541. The Tennessee Titans brought the curtains down on Brady’s Patriots career with a 20-13 victory in the AFC’s Wild Card Round.

2020: Brady Signs with Buccaneers, Wins Seventh Super Bowl

Atlanta Falcons v Tampa Bay Buccaneers//Getty

After the 2019 season, it was expected that would jump right into free agency as he had already Brady re-crafted his contract. Speculation spread with many assured that his tenure with the Patriots was on the final stage. As the rest of the world grappled with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic NFL free agency gained momentum. On March 17, 2020 Brady cleared doubts about leaving the Patriots and confirmed a deal with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Despite being locked out of the NFC south win, Brady led the Buccaneers in the Super Bowl LV win over the Kansas City Chiefs. That became Brady’s seventh and final Super Bowl win. 

2021: More Records Added to His Name

Tom Brady in Tampa Bay Buccaneers v New England Patriots//Getty

With the victory over his former team the New England Patriots, Brady became the fourth quarterback in NFL history to record a win against all 32 current teams in the league, joining Brett Favre, Peyton Manning, and Drew Brees. In addition, he became the sixth quarterback to have a victory against every incumbent NFL franchise, after Fran Tarkenton and Joe Montana, as the league only had 28 teams during the latter two's respective tenures.

2022. Brady Announces First Retirement

Tom Brady in Tampa Bay Buccaneers v Los Angeles Rams//Getty

Brady announced his retirement a week after the Buccaneers' 2021 season ended with a divisional round loss to the Rams. It lasted all of 40 days. On the eve of free agency, Brady tweeted his intention to return for a third season with the Buccaneers. Tampa Bay quickly moved to reload by bringing back a handful of key free agents for what many believed would be one final ride for Brady.