by Tom Brady: A Career Defined by Numbers
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Tom Brady is widely considered one of the greatest quarterbacks to ever play the game of football. Over the course of his 22-year NFL career spent entirely with the New England Patriots, Brady amassed numerous individual accolades and team accomplishments that cement his legacy as one of the winningest and most accomplished athletes in professional sports history. While Brady’s intangible qualities like leadership, work ethic, and clutch playmaking ability were undoubtedly crucial to his success, his career can also be defined and understood through the lens of raw numbers and statistics. Let’s take a deeper look at some of the most impressive milestones and records from Brady’s legendary career.
Early Accolades
One of the most remarkable aspects of Brady’s story is how he entered the NFL as a relative unknown and rose to stardom against all odds. Coming out of the University of Michigan in 2000, Brady was not viewed as a top prospect and was selected with the 199th overall pick in the sixth round of the NFL Draft by the Patriots. Very few sixth-round picks go on to have successful careers in the NFL, let alone emerge as one of the greatest players ever. But Brady was determined to prove the doubters wrong from the beginning.
As a rookie fourth-string quarterback in 2000, Brady got his first career start after injuries sidelined Drew Bledsoe and other Patriots QBs. Brady went on to lead the Patriots to an 11-3 record as a starter that season, throwing for over 2,800 yards and 18 touchdowns. His impressive play as a rookie was just the beginning, as Brady would go on to shatter expectations and rewrite the record books over the next two decades.
Regular Season Dominance
During his two decades as the Patriots’ starting quarterback, Brady established himself as the most consistently dominant regular season quarterback in NFL history based on career passing statistics and individual accolades. Brady led the league in passing yards seven different times over the course of his career – more than any other quarterback in history. Those seasons where he paced the NFL in passing yards came in 2002, 2007, 2010, 2015, 2017, 2018, and 2020. Leading the league in this major passing category is an extremely difficult feat, yet Brady did it nearly once every three seasons on average throughout his career.
In terms of career passing records, Brady retired after the 2021 season having thrown for a total of 84,520 yards over his career, over 3,000 yards more than the next closest quarterback, Drew Brees. Brady also holds the all-time record for completions with 7,263 and touchdowns with 649. Simply put, when it comes to putting the ball in the air throughout a career with efficiency and production, no one has ever done it better than Brady.
These prolific passing statistics resulted in Brady being named to a record 15 Pro Bowls over the course of his career. He was also named First Team All-Pro three times and Second Team All-Pro two other times, displaying his elite level of play that stood out among his peers season after season. Brady’s individual excellence directly translated to team success as well, as the Patriots qualified for the playoffs an astounding 17 times in Brady’s 20 seasons as the starter in New England, winning 16 division titles.
Postseason Greatness
While Brady’s gaudy regular season numbers are unmatched in NFL history, what truly separates him as the GOAT is his unparalleled success in the playoffs and Super Bowl. Brady started in a record 41 playoff games over his career, amassing playoff stats that dwarf even the best postseason performances of other all-time greats. Brady’s 35 career playoff wins are lightyears ahead of the second place Joe Montana’s 16.
Of course, the true highlight of any quarterback’s career is Super Bowl victories. And once again, Brady reigns supreme with a record seven Super Bowl championships – five of them as Super Bowl MVP. Brady started in 10 total Super Bowls over the course of his career, appearing in nearly a third of all Super Bowls ever played. To put that dominance in perspective, Brady won more Super Bowl titles alone than 26 NFL franchises have won throughout history. His five Super Bowl MVP awards are also the most all-time.
Brady’s playoff numbers are staggering as well. He holds the all-time lead in every major playoff passing category including yards (12,449), touchdowns (85), completions (1,165), and attempts (1,844). Most remarkably, Brady’s career playoff winning percentage of .761 is the highest of any starting quarterback with at least 10 playoff games under their belt. Simply put, when the stakes were highest and the pressure was on, no one performed better or more consistently than Brady. His postseason greatness is the biggest reason Brady is cemented as the GOAT.
Longevity and Consistency
Another testament to Brady’s legendary career is his unprecedented longevity at the quarterback position. He played in the NFL for an incredible 22 seasons – a record for any quarterback and longer than all but a handful of players at any position in NFL history. Brady started over 300 career games, including playoffs, and showed no signs of decline until his final season at age 44 with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2021.
What’s even more remarkable about Brady’s longevity is how consistent his production remained even late into his 30s and 40s. In his age 40 and 41 seasons alone, Brady combined to throw for over 9,000 yards and 71 touchdowns. He became the oldest quarterback ever to start a Super Bowl at age 43, winning his record-extending seventh ring with the Bucs. Brady also accomplished several career-firsts late in his career, including leading the league in passing yards at age 40 in 2015 and again at age 44 in 2021.
Brady’s consistency extended to 50-touchdown seasons as well. He reached the 50 TD plateau in 2007, 2015, 2017, 2018, and 2021 – five times over 15 NFL seasons spanning nearly two decades. No other quarterback has ever had more than three 50+ touchdown seasons. Brady also never missed a single start due to injury over his entire 22-year career, a testament to his durability and commitment to taking care of his body. Simply put, Brady defied all conventional wisdom and expectations about quarterback longevity in the NFL.
Conclusion
Through gaudy regular season stats, unprecedented postseason success, longevity records that may never be broken, and a dedication to year-round training and preparation, Tom Brady cemented himself as not just the greatest quarterback – but quite possibly the greatest athlete in any major professional sport. His career numbers paint a portrait of dominance, consistency, championship pedigree, and longevity that may never be replicated. Brady rewrote the record books at every turn while leading the Patriots dynasty and later the Buccaneers to heights no one thought possible. The numbers tell the story of not just a first-ballot Hall of Famer, but the unquestioned GOAT of the NFL. Brady’s place in football history and impact on the sport may never be matched.
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