After 23 seasons, Tom Brady has finally called it an NFL career. A year after announcing a retirement that ultimately lasted just 40 days, the longtime Patriots and Buccaneers star confirmed Wednesday that he’s hanging up the cleats “for good.” The quarterback’s decision has immediate ripple effects on the 2023 QB market, but in the bigger picture, it closes the book on an unmatched football legacy: three MVPs, three-time All-Pro, 15 Pro Bowls, seven Super Bowl wins, and countless clutch memories.
In celebration of Brady’s career, which will inevitably draw one of the surest Hall of Fame nominations and inductions, here’s a survey of the QB’s entire 23-season run, one year at a time:
2000
After five middling seasons at the University of Michigan, Brady famously entered the NFL — though not famously at the time — as a sixth-round pick of the Patriots, No. 199 overall. He opened his rookie year as the fourth-string QB, eventually rising to the No. 2 role behind Pro Bowler Drew Bledsoe. He appeared in just one game, completing a single pass in a 5-11 season.
2001
With Bledsoe injured on a hard hit in the Patriots’ second game of the season, Brady took over under center and remained the starter for the rest of the season. He didn’t post gaudy numbers (18 TDs, 12 INTs) but went 14-3 (including playoffs) off the bench alongside a stout defense. The improbable run closed with an appearance in Super Bowl XXXVI, where Brady led a game-winning field goal drive to upset Kurt Warner, Marshall Faulk and the heavily favored Rams, winning Super Bowl MVP and delivering New England its first Lombardi Trophy at 24, making him the youngest QB to ever secure a Super Bowl ring.
2002
With Bledsoe traded to the Bills, Brady officially took over as the Patriots’ face of the franchise. New England failed to reach the postseason with a 9-7 finish, but the QB emerged as a full-time starter, leading the NFL with 28 TD passes.
2003
With Coach of the Year Bill Belichick guiding the NFL’s stingiest defense, Brady did his part with three fourth-quarter comebacks and five game-winning drives for the AFC’s No. 1 seed, leading a 14-2 record to finish third in MVP voting. After edging actual MVP Peyton Manning in the AFC title game, Brady once again saved his best for last, defeating the Panthers in Super Bowl XXXVIII — and winning Super Bowl MVP — with another walk-off field goal drive.
2004
Guiding another…
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