- Tom Brady is widely viewed as the greatest quarterback in the history of football.
- The six-time Super Bowl champion spent the first 20 years of his illustrious NFL career with the New England Patriots.
- He joined the Buccaneers in 2020 and, in his first season with Tampa Bay, led Bruce Arians' team to the Super Bowl.
- Check out 21 photos that showcase each year of Brady's illustrious NFL career.
- Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.
2000: Rookie year
Tom Brady is selected by the New England Patriots with the 199th overall pick in the draft. He begins the year as the team's fourth-string QB before competing to become Drew Bledsoe's primary backup.
2001: Becoming a starter
In the Patriots' second game of the season, Bledsoe took a big hit in the fourth quarter and suffered internal bleeding, opening the door for Brady to prove his worth. Though the then-22-year-old backup couldn't deliver the come-from-behind victory, he earned the starting nod for the following nod and, eventually, the remainder of the season.
Brady turned New England's season on its face; the team that began the year 0-2 transformed into the frontrunner of the AFC East with an 11-5 regular-season record. He torched the Oakland Raiders in their Divisional Round — which is famously known for its controversial Tuck Rule call — before leading the Patriots on a run to Super Bowl XXXVI.
2002: First Super Bowl victory
The next calendar year started with a bang for Brady, as the young precision passer finished out the 2001 season by winning his first Super Bowl MVP award and ring in early February.
The 2002 season itself was somewhat underwhelming both for Brady individually and for his New England squad. They finished the season 9-7 and missed the playoffs thanks in part to their new starter's career-low 85.7 single-season passer rating and career-high 14 interceptions. Still, Brady finished the year with nearly 1000 yards more than the season prior, and an NFL-leading 28 touchdown passes.
2003: Back on top
The Patriots opened the 2003 season with an underwhelming 2-2 start but managed to record a whopping 12-straight wins to finish off the regular season. They carried that momentum into the playoffs, dominating the field en route to a last-second victory in Super Bowl XXXVIII and Brady's second-career Super Bowl MVP award.
2004: Three in four years
By the start of the 2004 season, a dynasty was already taking shape in New England. By the season's end, it was fully formed. The Patriots went 14-2 in the regular season, winning the AFC East title and, eventually, their third Super Bowl in four years.
2005: First playoff loss
The Patriots' 10-6 record was good enough for a third-straight AFC East title in 2015, but injuries on the offensive side of the ball forced Brady to lean more on his arm and playmaking ability. He wound up earning his third bid to a Pro Bowl before he and New England fell to the Denver Broncos in the Divisional Round.
2006: AFC Championship exit
Once again, Brady led the Patriots to their fourth-consecutive AFC East title with a 12-4 record, but they stumbled in the postseason. New England barely squeaked out a win in the Divisional Round before giving up a 21-6 halftime lead to Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts in the AFC Championship game.
2007: Undefeated regular season
Brady enjoyed a historic season in 2007 en route to a perfect 16-0 regular-season finish. In one of the greatest passing stretches to that point, Brady threw for 4,806 passing yards, and 50 touchdown passes on the year while giving up just eight interceptions. Brady earned his first career MVP award thanks to his stellar string of performances throughout the season.
The Pats cruised to the Super Bowl, where Eli Manning and the New York Giants pulled off one of the greatest upsets in the history of sport and took home the Lombardi Trophy.
2008: Knee injury
Brady struggled with various foot injuries heading into the 2008 season and wasn't able to participate in preseason activities. In the first quarter of the Patriots' season opener, Brady took a brutal, season-ending hit that tore his ACL and MCL. New England missed the playoffs without Brady under center.
2009: Comeback kid
Brady came back with a vengeance in 2009. He led the Patriots to a 10-6 record — and back to the AFC East throne — thanks to 4,398 yards passing and 28 touchdowns on the season despite fracturing a finger and three ribs throughout the year. He earned NFL Comeback Player of the Year honors before losing the first home playoff game of his career.
2010: Second MVP season
Brady built on his fantastic comeback season with an even more impressive 2010 campaign. He threw for 3,900 yards, 36 touchdowns, and just four interceptions to lead the Patriots to a league-best 14-2 regular-season record. Brady's 9:1 touchdown to interception ratio, plus his 111.0 passer rating, helped him earn the second MVP award of his career.
Despite the momentum with which New England entered the postseason, Brady and company saw an early exit from the playoffs after faltering against the Jets in the Divisional Round.
2011: Rematch against Eli
Another season, another AFC East title. New England finished the season 13-3 and Brady threw for a career-high 5,235 yards and best his total touchdown passes from his MVP season the prior year. The Patriots returned to the Super Bowl for the first time since the 2007 season with a chance to exact revenge against Eli Manning and the New York Giants.
Instead, Brady and company once again faltered against the underdogs and allowed Manning to lead a last-second charge for yet another come-from-behind victory.
2012: 10th AFC East title
Once again, the Patriots earned yet another AFC East championship — their fourth straight and Brady's ninth-consecutive as the team's starter. New England went 12-4 and looked poised to make a deep run into the postseason. Instead, the Pats suffered an upset at the hands of the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Championship at Gillette Stadium.
2013: Déjà vu
Brady lost nearly all of his regular targets from the past season, as Rob Gronkowski was injured, Aaron Hernandez got arrested, Wes Welker and Danny Woodhead left, and Brandon Lloyd was released. Still, Brady threw for 4,343 yards en route to another 12-4 regular-season finish and a second-straight AFC Championship loss.
2014: Tying Joe Montana and Terry Bradshaw
After a 10-year championship drought, Brady and the Patriots broke through in Super Bowl XLIX after a third-straight 12-4 season. The victory marked Brady's fourth Super Bowl victory — tying Joe Montana and Terry Bradshaw for most all-time for a starting quarterback — and his third Super Bowl MVP award.
2015: Fifth consecutive AFC Championship
After a tumultuous offseason, which saw Brady facing public and league scrutiny over "Deflategate." New England kicked off the year with 10 straight victories before once again finishing the regular season 12-4. They advanced to the AFC Championship for the fifth-straight year, where they fell to Peyton Manning and the eventual Super Bowl-champion Denver Broncos.
2016: Five golden rings
Brady served a four-game suspension for Deflategate to start the season, but ultimately led the Patriots to a league-best 14-2 record and yet another AFC Championship. New England famously overcame a 25-point third-quarter deficit against the Atlanta Falcons to win Super Bowl LI, Brady's fifth Super Bowl victory.
2017: Third MVP season
During the 2017 season, Brady led the league with 4,577 passing yards and 286.1 yards per game en route to his third league MVP award and a 13-3 regular-season record. The Patriots made their third Super Bowl appearance in four years but fell to Nick Foles and the Philadelphia Eagles in an absolute thriller.
2018: Sixth Super Bowl victory
Once again, New England finished the regular season ahead of the pack in the AFC East, marking its 10th-consecutive AFC East title. And despite up-and-comers like Patrick Mahomes threatening to steal the throne from a veteran Brady, the Patriots came out victorious in the AFC Championship before taking down the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl LIII. With the win, Brady became the oldest quarterback to win a Super Bowl and the only player in NFL history to win six rings.
2019: One last go
After departing for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in free agency, Brady revealed he already knew he was going to leave the Patriots before the start of the 2019 season. Still, the GOAT led New England to one final AFC East title with a 12-4 record. Brady and the Pats lost in the Wild Card game to the Tennessee Titans, and on what could have been a game-winning drive, Brady threw a pick-six that wound up being the final pass of his Patriots career.
2020: New team, same Brady
At 43 years old and in the first season of his career away from Foxborough, Massachusetts, Brady was yet again one of the top-performing quarterbacks in the NFL. He threw for 4,633 yards and 40 touchdowns — good for third and second in the league, respectively, and led the Bucs to their first NFC Championship win since 2002. Super Bowl LV in Tampa Bay marks Brady's 10th trip to football's biggest game and the first time in NFL history a team will compete in a Super Bowl hosted in their home stadium.
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