5 of the greatest moments in Tom Brady's iconic career
The name Tom Brady has become synonymous with winning over the last decade or so. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback has fashioned one of the most successful NFL careers in the history of the league.
The New England Patriots drafted Tom Brady with the 199th overall pick in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft. Brady wasn't expected to amount to much coming out of the University of Michigan.
Brady featured in just one game for the Patriots in his rookie season. In that game, he completed one pass for six yards.
At the time, the New England Patriots had Drew Bledsoe as their starting quarterback, and Brady was there to add depth. However, during the 2001 season, Bledsoe sustained an injury that allowed Brady to slot in as the starter.
In his second season, Brady started 14 games, completing 63.9% of his passes for 2,843 yards, 18 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions. He led the New England Patriots to their first Super Bowl championship in 2001, defeating the St. Louis Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI 20-17.
The rise and rise of Tom Brady
Tom Brady was named the Super Bowl's Most Valuable Player on the back of 145 passing yards and one touchdown against the Rams. He went on to win six Super Bowls with the Patriots in his 20-year career with the team. However, the biggest test of Tom Brady's career came during the 2020-2021 season when he signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
For the first time in his career, Tom Brady donned the colors of another NFL franchise. All eyes were on Brady at the time, with NFL fans reserving their judgment regarding whether Brady was solely responsible for the Patriots' continued success. A number of fans labeled him a system quarterback, one who may be unable to succeed outside of Bill Belichick's system.
That turned out to be wishful thinking from rival fans.
Let's not forget that Tom Brady tested the free agency market in his 40's. Usually, when a player enters free agency after the age of 33, they remain unsigned. Brady, however, was a different story. He was the top free agent and had just about every franchise lobbying for his presence in their locker room.
Bruce Arians developed a relationship with the iconic QB, which ultimately landed Tom Brady in Tampa Bay. In his first year, Tom Brady did what Tom Brady always does: he led his team to the Super Bowl championship, Tampa Bay's first in nearly 18 years.
Tom Brady won his seventh Super Bowl championship ring and his fifth Super Bowl MVP award, an NFL record in itself. Now entering his 22nd NFL season, Brady has the opportunity to do something that has never been done before in NFL history.
If the Tampa Bay Buccaneers win the Super Bowl in the 2021-2022 season, Brady will become the first NFL quarterback to win back-to-back Super Bowl championships with two different franchises.
Few can claim to have as iconic and blockbuster a career as Tom Brady has had in the NFL, with more chapters yet to come. As he targets another Super Bowl, here's a look at five of the greatest moments in the career of the NFL's most garlanded quarterback.