NEEDLESS TO SAY, WHEN TOM BRADY WAS DRAFTED 199th overall in the 2000 NFL Draft by the New England Patriots, no one expected him to become the greatest football player of all time. Surely, not even Tom Brady believed that. But Brady did believe he could become the Patriots’ franchise quarterback, even after the starter in front of him signed the largest contract in league history. He believed he could lead the Patriots to a Super Bowl victory—and then, over the years, five more. He believed that two decades into his NFL career, he could switch teams for the first time and win a championship with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Again and again and again, Tom Brady’s belief was rewarded. And each time that it was, he immediately moved on to his next goal. “The joys of winning are great, but I sweep those under the rug so fast,” Brady said in the 2018 docuseries Tom vs. Time. “There’s a brief moment in time where I enjoy the experience of winning. And then I’m thinking about the next game and I’m thinking about winning again.” Tom Brady always believed.
TOM BRADY • THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME
RECORD BREAKER • Tom Brady holds nearly every major quarterback record, including passing yards, completions and touchdown passes.
DEFYING EXPECTATIONS • NEVER SATISFIED WITH YESTERDAY’S VICTORIES, TOM BRADY SURPRISED EVERYONE AT EACH NEW STAGE OF HIS STORIED 23-YEAR CAREER.
THE GAME OF LIFE • FROM DOTING DAD TO FOOTBALL’S GREATEST QUARTERBACK OF ALL TIME, THESE ARE TOM BRADY’S MOST MEMORABLE MOMENTS.
COMEBACK KID • DRIVEN BY A WORK ETHIC INSTILLED BY HIS THREE OLDER SISTERS, TOM BRADY GROUND HIS WAY TO THE STARTING QB JOB AT ONE OF THE COUNTRY’S TOP COLLEGE PROGRAMS.
MOST VALUABLE TEAM • AN INJURY TO FRANCHISE QUARTERBACK DREW BLEDSOE SEEMED TO DOOM THE PATRIOTS’ 2001 SEASON. INSTEAD, AN UNHERALDED SECOND-YEAR QB LED NEW ENGLAND TO THE UNLIKELIEST OF CHAMPIONSHIPS.
MR. FEBRUARY • FOR ANYONE WHO THOUGHT THE PATS’ FIRST TITLE WAS A FLUKE, THE BRADY BUNCH PROVED THEM WRONG WITH TWO MORE THRILLING SUPER BOWL VICTORIES OVER THE NEXT THREE SEASONS.
BRADY & BELICHICK
HISTORY & HEARTBREAK • FROM 2005 TO 2014, TOM BRADY ESTABLISHED HIMSELF AS ONE OF THE GREATEST PASSERS THE NFL HAD EVER SEEN—BUT HE ALSO SUFFERED A SERIES OF HIGH-PROFILE DEFEATS THAT WOULD NOT SOON BE FORGOTTEN.
CASSEL STEPS UP
BACK ON TOP • AFTER A DECADE OF BARELY FALLING SHORT, HE WON HIS FOURTH RING IN AN INSTANT-CLASSIC SUPER BOWL TRIUMPH OVER THE SEAHAWKS.
TRUSTED TARGETS • > No one caught more passes from Touchdown Tom than these 10 receivers.
NOT GOING AWAY • AS MANY EAGERLY AWAITED THE DOWNFALL OF THE PATRIOTS AND THEIR AGING LEADER, TOM BRADY NEVER STOPPED FINDING NEW WAYS TO WIN.
NEW TEAM, SAME TOM • WHEN THE CELEBRATED QB JOINED THE TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS AT THE AGE OF 42, SOME WONDERED HOW MUCH HE HAD LEFT IN THE TANK—AND HE QUICKLY PROVIDED A DEFINITIVE ANSWER.
SO HARD TO SAY GOODBYE • > After 40 days, Brady was back as a Tampa Bay Buccaneer.
TOM’S TOP 12 • THE QUARTERBACK POSTED COUNTLESS MEMORABLE PERFORMANCES DURING HIS CAREER. THESE ARE HIS 12 BEST.
BEYOND THE GRIDIRON • THE SUPERSTAR IS A DEVOTED DAD, PHILANTHROPIST, LIFESTYLE GURU, AND NOW AN NFL BROADCASTER.
THE BRADY BRAND • > The legendary quarterback has launched his own apparel line.
LEGENDS OF THE GAME • THESE FOOTBALL ICONS STAND ALONGSIDE TOM BRADY IN THE UPPERMOST ECHELON OF THE BEST TO EVER STRAP ON A HELMET.
GOAT GALLERY • > The best footballer ever? Well, that’s an open-and-shut case. But where does Tom Brady rank among the greatest athletes of all time?
HIGHEST REGARDS • TEAMMATES, RIVALS AND LEGENDS PAY RESPECT TO THE GOAT.
BRADY GOES TO HOLLYWOOD • THE NFL LEGEND STARS IN...