Mar 17, 2020
Arguably the best there ever was: A timeline of Tom Brady’s time with the Patriots
Tom Brady’s tenure with the New England Patriots – the organization he led to six Super Bowl wins in nine appearances – has come to an end. Here is a timeline of Brady’s career in New England.
TSN.ca Staff
,Tom Brady’s tenure with the New England Patriots – the organization he led to six Super Bowl wins in nine appearances – has come to an end, with the future Hall of Famer announcing on social media Tuesday that his "football journey" will continue elsewhere in the 2020 season.
Later on Tuesday, Adam Schefter of ESPN reported Brady is expected to join the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. No official announcement has been made by Brady or the team.
Brady, 42, spent 20 seasons with the Patriots, putting together a career that many consider the greatest in NFL history. Here is a timeline of Brady’s career in New England:
Apr. 16, 2000
Brady, who was a two-year starter at the University of Michigan, was drafted by the Patriots in the sixth round with the 199th pick. Six other quarterbacks were taken ahead of him.
Sept. 30, 2001
On Sept. 23, 2001, Patriots starting quarterback Drew Bledsoe took a crushing hit from New York Jets linebacker Mo Lewis. Brady came off the sideline to replace him and never relinquished the No. 1 job.
Feb. 3, 2002
After leading the Patriots to an 11-5 regular-season campaign after taking over for Bledsoe, Brady’s Patriots continued to roll in the postseason and ultimately reached the Super Bowl. With the score tied at 17 late in the fourth quarter against the St. Louis Rams, Brady, who was named Super Bowl MVP for the first time in his career, drove the Pats downfield to set up a successful walk-off field goal from Adam Vinatieri. The win was New England’s first Super Bowl victory in franchise history.
Feb. 1, 2004
The Patriots failed to make the playoffs during the 2002 season, but Brady and New England came back strong in 2003, posting a 14-2 regular-season record en route to finishing the season as Super Bowl champions again. Brady captured his second career Super Bowl MVP award in New England’s 32-29 win over the Carolina Panthers.
Feb. 6, 2005
Brady and the Patriots essentially replicated their 2003 campaign in 2004, going 14-2 again in the regular season and beating the Philadelphia Eagles in the Super Bowl to give Brady the third Lombardi Trophy of his career.
Jan. 5, 2008
Brady is named the MVP for the 2007 NFL season after throwing a then-record 50 touchdowns to go along with 4,805 yards and just eight interceptions. His stellar performance came after the Patriots revamped their receiving corps in the off-season with star wideout Randy Moss and a future five-time Pro Bowl receiver Wes Welker.
Feb. 3, 2008
With Moss and Welker on board, Brady guided the Patriots back to the Super Bowl – their fourth appearance under him – after a two-year hiatus from the big game. The Patriots, who during the regular-season campaign became just the second team ever in NFL history to go undefeated, ultimately fell 17-14 to Eli Manning and the New York Giants in the Super Bowl. The loss to the Giants was the first time the Pats lost in the Super Bowl under Brady.
Feb. 6, 2011
After throwing for 3,900 yards, 36 touchdowns and just four interceptions en route to leading New England to another 14-2 regular-season campaign, Brady captured the second NFL MVP award of his career.
Feb. 5, 2012
The Patriots reached their fifth Super Bowl with Brady, but once again failed to come away with a victory after losing for the second straight time in the big game to Eli Manning’s Giants.
Feb. 1, 2015
After coming up short in their last two Super Bowl appearances, Brady and the Patriots were able to breakthrough with a 28-24 win over the Seattle Seahawks in a game that is often infamously remembered for a questionable play call the Seahawks made at New England’s goal line in the dying seconds of the game. The win gave the Patriots the fourth Super Bowl win under Brady, and the quarterback also captured his third Super Bowl MVP award.
May 11, 2016
The NFL announced that Brady would be suspended for the first four games of the 2016 season because of his involvement in "Deflategate", the NFL’s infamous investigation that determined that the Patriots cheated in the 2015 AFC game versus the Indianapolis Colts by intentionally using underinflated footballs.
Feb. 5, 2017
The Patriots overcame Brady’s Deflategate suspension to post a 14-2 record and reach their seventh Super Bowl appearance under the quarterback. Down 28-3 deep into third quarter of the big game against the Atlanta Falcons, New England somehow rallied to pull off an improbable 34-28 overtime win to capture its fifth Super Bowl with Brady. The Patriots’ 25-point comeback was the largest in Super Bowl history, and Brady also took home his fourth Super Bowl MVP.
Feb. 3, 2018
Brady won the third NFL MVP of his career after his 4,577 passing yards, 32 touchdowns and eight interceptions led the Patriots to 13-3 regular-season campaign.
Feb. 4, 2018
After beating the Falcons, Brady and the Patriots finished the 2017 season with a 13-3 record and ultimately reached the Super Bowl for the second straight year. The appearance in the game, which was the Pats’ eighth under Brady, didn’t go as planned, as New England ultimately wound up losing to the Nick Foles-led Philadelphia Eagles.
Feb. 3, 2019
For the third straight year, the Patriots reached the Super Bowl, their ninth under Brady. The Patriots come away with a 13-3 win over the Los Angeles Rams, which was the lowest-scoring championship game in NFL history. With the win, the Patriots claimed their sixth Super Bowl win and pulled into a tie with the Steelers for the most all-time.
Aug. 4, 2019
Brady signs a two-year contract extension with the Patriots, but the deal is one that automatically voids on the final day of the 2019 league year.
Mar. 16, 2020
The Patriots and Brady fail to reach an agreement on a new contract before the day’s noon ET deadline kicked in and the NFL’s legal tampering period went into effect.
Mar. 17, 2020
Brady announces on Instagram that after 20 seasons with the Patriots, he will not be re-signing with the team and instead will continue his career somewhere else.