History Creator / TomBrady

* VetinariJobSecurity: Zig-zagged with his absences in the 2008 and 2016 seasons; in 2008, he blew out his knee in the first game of the season, and in 2016, he was suspended for the first four games for his alleged role in the Deflategate scandal. In 2008, backup Matt Cassel, who hadn't started a game since high school, guided the Patriots to an 11-5 record (a five game drop from 16-0 in 2007). However, the Pats played two of the worst divisions ''ever'' in NFL history; neither the AFC West nor the NFC West had 10-win teams that year. The Pats were only 2-4 against playoff teams and missed the postseason after losing tiebreakers to the eventual division champions, the Miami Dolphins, and the Baltimore Ravens. In 2016, the Pats finished 3-1 during Brady's absence. The Pats' continued success without Brady led to the perception that Brady is a "system quarterback" and that literally any QB could succeed with the Pats. Finally played straight in the 2020 season, the Patriots' first season after Brady left the team to sign with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers; with three [=QBs=] helming the Patriots offense, including former Panthers QB Cam Newton, the Patriots finished 7-9, their first losing season since 2000, while Brady went won another Super Bowl.

* VetinariJobSecurity: Zig-zagged with his absences in the 2008 and 2016 seasons; in the 2008 season, he blew out his knee in the first game of the season, and in 2016, when he was suspended for the first four games for his alleged role in the Deflategate scandal. In the 2008 season, backup Matt Cassel, who hasn't started a game since high school, guided the Patriots to an 11-5 record (a five game drop from 16-0 in 2007), but the Patriots (and the AFC East) that year played two of the worst divisions ''ever'' in NFL history, the AFC West and NFC West, where neither division had 10-win teams. The Pats were only 2-4 against playoff teams, and missed the playoffs after losing tiebreakers to the eventual division champions, the Miami Dolphins, and the Baltimore Ravens. In 2016, the Pats finished 3-1 during Brady's absence. The Pats' continued success without Brady led to the perception that Brady is a "system quarterback", and that literally any QB can succeed with the Pats. Finally played straight in the 2020 season, the Patriots' first season after Brady left the team to sign with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers; with three quarterbacks helming the Patriots offense, including former Panthers QB Cam Newton, the Patriots finished 7-9, their first losing season since 2000.

* SoreLoser: If your team beats Tom Brady, don't expect him to congratulate you. After all three of his Super Bowl losses[[note]]Super Bowl XLII, XLVI, and LII[[/note]], he went to the Patriots' locker room without shaking any of the Giants' or Eagles' player's hands. He ''may'' decide to congratulate a WorthyOpponent during the regular season, but he also has been known to hold a grudge; he notably refused to shake hands with Nick Foles, leader of that Eagles victory, the next time he defeated them in a game. Though to be fair to Brady, he didn't get handshakes from Kurt Warner, Jake Delholmme, or Donovan [=McNabb=] after the Patriots defeated their respective teams in the Super Bowl. Also, Brady isn't the only person to not shake hands with the winning QB after the Super Bowl.

* SoreLoser: If your team beats Tom Brady, don't expect him to congratulate you. After all three of his Super Bowl losses[[note]]Super Bowl XLII, XLVI, and LII[[/note]], he went to the Patriots' locker room without shaking any of the Giants' or Eagles' player's hands. He ''may'' decide to congratulate a WorthyOpponent during the regular season, but he also has been known to hold a grudge; he notably refused to shake hands with Nick Foles, leader of that Eagles victory, the next time he defeated them in a game.

* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: Brady is this to Ben Roethlisberger, who lost three AFC championship games to Brady's Patriots.

%%* NiceGuy: Although he's received his fair share of criticism and has rightfully earned a reputation for being a rather SoreLoser (see below), he's known as a consummate professional who gives credit to people where it's due and is generally a kindhearted person off the field.

%%* KarmaHoudini: Regarded by many in regards to "deflategate" given he walked out of it as a winner despite facing serious evidence indicating cheating.

* KarmaHoudini: Regarded by many in regards to "deflategate" given he walked out of it as a winner despite facing serious evidence indicating cheating.

* NiceGuy: Although he's received his fair share of criticism and has rightfully earned a reputation for being a rather SoreLoser (see below), he's known as a consummate professional who gives credit to people where it's due and is generally a kindhearted person off the field.

Obviously, in order to win that many championships, one has to pretty great in all of the games leading up to it, and Brady has plenty of regular season accolades as well. Brady was named the NFL MVP in 2007 (when he became the first quarterback to throw for 50+ touchdowns in a season and led the team to a 16-0 regular season), 2010 (when he set an NFL record for consecutive passes without an interception, 358, and became the first player since 1986 to be unanimously chosen as MVP), and 2017 (when he became the oldest ever to win at age 40), as well as the 2007 Male Athlete of the Year by the Associated Press, the first NFL player to be so honored since 1990. He has been selected to fourteen Pro Bowls (tied with Manning) and led the Patriots to more division titles than any other quarterback in NFL history (17). He has also thrown more career touchdown passes than any NFL quarterback and is second on the all-time list for career passing yards (behind only Drew Brees). He has likewise thrown for more passing yards and touchdowns than any quarterback in NFL postseason history, and his career postseason record is 37-11, a win total over ''twice'' the number of runner-up (and Brady's childhood idol) Joe Montana, the only other QB who has won multiple [=MVPs=] in both the regular season and Super Bowl. Brady helped set the record for both the longest consecutive win streak in NFL history (21 straight wins across 2003-4) and most consecutive playoff wins (10). Finally, he has the seventh highest career passer rating of all time (97.3) among quarterbacks with at least 1,500 career passing attempts.

Obviously, in order to win that many championships, one has to pretty great in the 18-19 games leading up to it. Brady was named the NFL MVP in 2007 (when he became the first quarterback to throw for 50+ touchdowns in a season and led the team to a 16-0 regular season), 2010 (when he set an NFL record for consecutive passes without an interception, 358, and became the first player since 1986 to be unanimously chosen as MVP), and 2017 (when he became the oldest ever to win at age 40), as well as the 2007 Male Athlete of the Year by the Associated Press, the first NFL player to be so honored since 1990. He has been selected to fourteen Pro Bowls (tied with Manning) and led the Patriots to more division titles than any other quarterback in NFL history (17). He has also thrown more career touchdown passes than any NFL quarterback and is second on the all-time list for career passing yards (behind only Drew Brees). He has likewise thrown for more passing yards and touchdowns than any quarterback in NFL postseason history, and his career postseason record is 37-11, a win total over ''twice'' the number of runner-up (and Brady's childhood idol) Joe Montana, the only other QB who has won multiple [=MVPs=] in both the regular season and Super Bowl. Brady helped set the record for both the longest consecutive win streak in NFL history (21 straight wins across 2003-4) and most consecutive playoff wins (10). Finally, he has the seventh highest career passer rating of all time (97.3) among quarterbacks with at least 1,500 career passing attempts.

Thomas Edward Patrick Brady Jr. (born August 3, 1977) is an UsefulNotes/AmericanFootball player. [[LongRunner From 2001 to 2019]], he was the starting quarterback for the New England Patriots, then moved to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2020. Brady is arguably recognized as the greatest quarterback in [[UsefulNotes/NationalFootballLeague NFL]] history, with a resume of championships and statistics that dwarf those of every other player who has played the position[[note]]Although it must be said that the nature of this statement is wide open to debate, as other quarterbacks both during and before Brady's time have given strong cases for being the best[[/note]].

After playing college football for the UsefulNotes/UniversityOfMichigan, Tom Brady was drafted by the Patriots in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft. Brady [[FromNobodyToNightmare rose from obscurity]] and became the starter after perennial Pro-Bowler [[ThePeteBest Drew Bledsoe]] was injured in Week 2 of the 2001 season, tallying an 11-3 record and winning the UsefulNotes/SuperBowl that year. In Brady's 18 full seasons as a starter in New England (he missed nearly all of 2008 with a torn ACL), the Patriots earned nine trips to the Super Bowl and won six. Following this, Brady joined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, a long-struggling team that held the worst franchise winning record in all North American professional sports, hadn't visited the playoffs in thirteen years, and hadn't won a playoff game since their Super Bowl victory the year after Brady's first title. In his first year with the franchise, the Buccaneers returned to the Super Bowl and defeated the defending champion Chiefs [[CurbStompBattle 31-9]] as Brady won a record fifth Super Bowl MVP,[[note]]while the Patriots put up a losing record [[LoadBearingBoss for the first time since Brady started playing for them]][[/note]] an accomplishment that cemented Brady's name with UsefulNotes/MichaelJordan, UsefulNotes/MuhammadAli, UsefulNotes/WayneGretzky, and Creator/BabeRuth as the greatest competitor in their respective sport. Brady is the only quarterback to lead his teams to at least seven Super Bowls (he's now led them to ''ten''), holds the record for the most total Super Bowl touchdown passes, and is the first and only player to win six Super Bowls, later pushing the mark to seven, which is more than any ''team'' has won in the history of the Big Game. He is only the second starting quarterback in history to win a title with two different teams (after [[TheRival longtime rival]] Creator/PeytonManning won with the Indianapolis Colts and Denver Broncos) and the first and only one to do so in both conferences.

Obviously, in order to win that many championships, one has to pretty great in the 18-19 games leading up to it. Brady was named the NFL MVP in 2007 (when he became the first quarterback to throw for 50+ touchdowns in a season and led the team to a 16-0 regular season), 2010 (when he set NFL record for consecutive passes without an interception, 358, and became the first player since 1986 to be unanimously chosen as MVP), and 2017 (when he became the oldest ever to win at age 40), as well as the 2007 Male Athlete of the Year by the Associated Press, the first NFL player to be so honored since 1990. He has been selected to fourteen Pro Bowls (tied with Manning), and led the Patriots to more division titles than any other quarterback in NFL history (17). He has also thrown more career touchdown passes than any NFL quarterback and is second on the all-time list for career passing yards (behind only Drew Brees). He has likewise thrown for more passing yards and touchdowns than any quarterback in NFL postseason history, and his career postseason record is 37-11, a win total over ''twice'' the number of runner-up (and Brady's childhood idol) Joe Montana, the only other QB who has won multiple [=MVPs=] in both the regular season and Super Bowl. Brady helped set the record for both the longest consecutive win streak in NFL history (21 straight wins across 2003-4) and most consecutive playoff wins (10). Finally, he has the seventh highest career passer rating of all time (97.3) among quarterbacks with at least 1,500 career passing attempts.

Thomas Edward Patrick Brady Jr. (born August 3, 1977) is an UsefulNotes/AmericanFootball player. [[LongRunner From 2001 to 2019]], he was the starting quarterback for the New England Patriots, then moved to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2020. Brady is widely recognized as the greatest quarterback in [[UsefulNotes/NationalFootballLeague NFL]] history, with a resume of championships and statistics that dwarf those of every other player who has played the position.

* DeathByAThousandCuts: His mastery of the short-passing game lets him pick defenses apart piece-by-piece. This was one of his signature moves in the Patriots' second dynasty, and when he got to Tampa Bay, much was made about how long it took him to adapt to head coach Bruce Arians's offense, which is all about throwing the deep ball.

* FriendlyRival: To Creator/PeytonManning. For all the talk of who really is the better quarterback and the hyped up rivalry talk, Brady and Manning always spoke highly respectfully of each other and seemed to genuinely enjoy playing against one another. Following Manning's retirement, Brady made a guest appearance on Manning's Creator/ESPN Plus show ''Peyton's Places'' where they discussed their careers and matchups against each other while playing golf.

After playing college football for the UsefulNotes/UniversityOfMichigan, Tom Brady was drafted by the Patriots in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft. Brady [[FromNobodyToNightmare rose from obscurity]] and became the starter after perennial Pro-Bowler [[ThePeteBest Drew Bledsoe]] was injured in Week 2 of the 2001 season, tallying an 11-3 record and winning the UsefulNotes/SuperBowl that year. In Brady's 18 full seasons as a starter in New England (he missed nearly all of 2008 with a torn ACL), the Patriots earned nine trips to the Super Bowl and won six. Following this, Brady joined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, a long-struggling team that held the worst franchise winning record in all North American professional sports, hadn't visited the playoffs in thirteen years, and hadn't won a playoff game since their Super Bowl victory the year after Brady's first title. In his first year with the franchise, the Buccaneers returned to the Super Bowl and defeated the defending champion Chiefs [[CurbStompBattle 31-9]] as Brady won a record fifth Super Bowl MVP,[[note]]while the Patriots put up a losing record [[LoadBearingBoss for the first time since Brady started playing for them]][[/note]] an accomplishment that cemented Brady's name with UsefulNotes/MichaelJordan, UsefulNotes/MuhammadAli, UsefulNotes/WayneGretzky, and Creator/BabeRuth as the greatest competitor in their respective sport. Brady is the only quarterback to lead his teams to at least seven Super Bowls (he's now led them to ''ten''), holds the record for the most total Super Bowl touchdown passes, and is the first and only player to win six Super Bowls, later pushing the mark to seven, which is more than any ''team'' has won in the history of the Big Game. He is only the second player in history to win a title with two different teams (after [[TheRival longtime rival]] Creator/PeytonManning won with the Indianapolis Colts and Denver Broncos) and the first and only one to do so in both conferences.

After playing college football for the UsefulNotes/UniversityOfMichigan, Tom Brady was drafted by the Patriots in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft. Brady [[FromNobodyToNightmare rose from obscurity]] and became the starter after perennial Pro-Bowler Drew Bledsoe was injured in Week 2 of the 2001 season, tallying an 11-3 record and winning the UsefulNotes/SuperBowl that year. In Brady's 18 full seasons as a starter in New England (he missed nearly all of 2008 with a torn ACL), the Patriots earned nine trips to the Super Bowl and won six. Following this, Brady joined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, a long-struggling team that held the worst franchise winning record in all North American professional sports, hadn't visited the playoffs in thirteen years, and hadn't won a playoff game since their Super Bowl victory the year after Brady's first title. In his first year with the franchise, the Buccaneers returned to the Super Bowl and defeated the defending champion Chiefs [[CurbStompBattle 31-9]] as Brady won a record fifth Super Bowl MVP,[[note]]while the Patriots put up a losing record [[LoadBearingBoss for the first time since Brady started playing for them]][[/note]] an accomplishment that cemented Brady's name with UsefulNotes/MichaelJordan, UsefulNotes/MuhammadAli, UsefulNotes/WayneGretzky, and Creator/BabeRuth as the greatest competitor in their respective sport. Brady is the only quarterback to lead his teams to at least seven Super Bowls (he's now led them to ''ten''), holds the record for the most total Super Bowl touchdown passes, and is the first and only player to win six Super Bowls, later pushing the mark to seven, which is more than any ''team'' has won in the history of the Big Game. He is only the second player in history to win a title with two different teams (after [[TheRival longtime rival]] Creator/PeytonManning won with the Indianapolis Colts and Denver Broncos) and the first and only one to do so in both conferences.

* LivingLegend: His longevity means that many current NFL stars and fans grew up watching him play and may even be too young to remember the NFL without him.

* NiceGuy: Although he's received his fair share of criticism and has rightfully earned a reputation for being a rather SoreLoser (see below), he's known as a consummate professional who gives credit to people where it's due and is generally a kindhearted person off the field,

** Many saw him as a rival to NFC quarterbacks Drew Brees and Aaron Rodgers as well, with all three quarterbacks defining TheNewTens for their teams. Brees and Rodgers kept the reputation of being the best individual quarterbacks in the NFC, with Brees setting passing yardage and touchdown records that he and Brady constantly leapfrogged over for the next couple of years and Rodgers shining with his own exceptional accuracy. While we never had a Super Bowl matchup involving them, despite being a dream matchup to many fans, he faced ''both'' of them in the playoffs on the Buccaneers' run to Super Bowl LV, and although one game is hardly definitive, the Buccaneers' defense completely shut down Brees and Rodgers while Brady lit up their defense all game long in both matches.

** Many saw him as a rival to both Drew Brees and Aaron Rodgers as well, with all three quarterbacks defining the New 10s for their teams. Aaron and Drew kept the reputation of being the best individual quarterbacks in the NFC, with Drew setting passing yardage and touchdown records that he and Tom would end up constantly leapfrog each other over for the next couple of years, but we never had a Super Bowl matchup involving them, despite being a dream matchup to many fans. However, then Tom moved to Tampa Bay, and he faced ''both'' of them on the Buccaneers' run to Super Bowl LV, and although one game is hardly definitive, the Buccaneers' defense completely shut down Brees and Rodgers while Tom lit up their defense all game long in both matches.

* NiceGuy: Although he's received his fair share of criticism, he's a rather kindhearted person off the field, and even though he's rightfully earned a reputation for being a rather sore loser (see SoreLoser below), he's generally known to be a consummate professional who gives credit to people where it's due.

* WhamLine: Brady's announcement that he would be leaving the Patriots to play for another team was this trope to a lot of people, especially the team’s fans.

* YoungConqueror: It's easy to forget now, given that Brady's longevity has been the main narrative underpinning his success, but he also had one of the most illustrious career starts of any quarterback, winning three Super Bowls, ten consecutive playoff victories, a league record twenty-one consecutive regular season and playoff games, an undefeated season, a league MVP award, and a fourth Super Bowl appearance in his seventh year, all before age thirty; had his career ended then, he ''still'' would likely have been a first-ballot Hall of Famer. His emergence completely upended the emerging status quo in the league, where Creator/PeytonManning had the AFC within his grasp and the St. Louis Rams were poised to be the NFL's next great dynasty.

After playing college football for the UsefulNotes/UniversityOfMichigan, Tom Brady was drafted by the Patriots in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft. Brady [[FromNobodyToNightmare rose from obscurity]] and became the starter after perennial Pro-Bowler Drew Bledsoe was injured in Week 2 of the 2001 season, tallying an 11-3 record and winning the UsefulNotes/SuperBowl that year. In Brady's 18 full seasons as a starter in New England (he missed nearly all of 2008 with a torn ACL), the Patriots earned nine trips to the Super Bowl and won six. Following this, Brady joined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, a long-struggling team that held the worst franchise winning record in all North American professional sports, hadn't visited the playoffs in thirteen years, and hadn't won a playoff game since their Super Bowl victory the year after Brady's first title. In his first year with the franchise, the Buccaneers returned to the Super Bowl and defeated the defending champion Chiefs [[CurbStompBattle 31-9]] as Brady won a record fifth Super Bowl MVP,[[note]]while the Patriots put up a losing record [[LoadBearingBoss for the first time since Brady started playing for them]][[/note]] an accomplishment that cemented Brady's name with UsefulNotes/MichaelJordan, UsefulNotes/MuhammadAli, UsefulNotes/WayneGretzky, and Creator/BabeRuth as the greatest competitor in their respective sport. Brady is the only quarterback to lead his teams to at least seven Super Bowls (he's now led them to ''ten''), holds the record for the most total Super Bowl touchdown passes, and is the first and only player to win six Super Bowls, later pushing the mark to seven, which is more than any ''team'' has won in the history of the Big Game. He is only the second player in history to win a title with two different teams (after Peyton Manning won with the Indianapolis Colts and Denver Broncos) and the first and only one to do so in both conferences.

Obviously, in order to win that many championships, one has to pretty great in the 18-19 games leading up to it. Brady was named the NFL MVP in 2007 (when he became the first quarterback to throw for 50+ touchdowns in a season and led the team to a 16-0 regular season), 2010 (when he set NFL record for consecutive passes without an interception, 358, and became the first player since 1986 to be unanimously chosen as MVP), and 2017 (when he became the oldest ever to win at age 40), as well as the 2007 Male Athlete of the Year by the Associated Press, the first NFL player to be so honored since 1990. He has been selected to fourteen Pro Bowls (tied with [[TheRival longtime rival]] Creator/PeytonManning), and led the Patriots to more division titles than any other quarterback in NFL history (17). He has also thrown more career touchdown passes than any NFL quarterback and is second on the all-time list for career passing yards (behind only Drew Brees). He has likewise thrown for more passing yards and touchdowns than any quarterback in NFL postseason history, and his career postseason record is 37-11, a win total over ''twice'' the number of runner-up (and Brady's childhood idol) Joe Montana, the only other QB who has won multiple [=MVPs=] in the regular season and Super Bowl. Brady helped set the record for both the longest consecutive win streak in NFL history (21 straight wins across 2003-4) and most consecutive playoff wins (10). Finally, he has the seventh highest career passer rating of all time (97.3) among quarterbacks with at least 1,500 career passing attempts.

Thomas Edward Patrick Brady Jr. (born August 3, 1977) is an UsefulNotes/AmericanFootball player. [[LongRunner From 2001 to 2019]], he was the starting quarterback for the New England Patriots, then moved to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2020. Brady is widely recognized as the greatest quarterback in [[UsefulNotes/NationalFootballLeague NFL]] history, with a resume of championships and statistics that dwarf those of not just every player who has played the position.

After playing college football for the UsefulNotes/UniversityOfMichigan, Tom Brady was drafted by the Patriots in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft. Brady [[FromNobodyToNightmare rose from obscurity]] and became the starter after perennial Pro-Bowler Drew Bledsoe was injured in Week 2 of the 2001 season, tallying an 11-3 record and winning the UsefulNotes/SuperBowl that year. In Brady's 18 full seasons as a starter in New England (he missed nearly all of 2008 with a torn ACL), the Patriots earned nine trips to the Super Bowl and won six. Following this, Brady joined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, a long-struggling team that held the worst franchise winning record in all North American professional sports, hadn't visited the playoffs in thirteen years, and hadn't won a playoff game since their Super Bowl victory the year after Brady's first title -- In his first year with the franchise, the Buccaneers returned to the Super Bowl and defeated the defending champion Chiefs [[CurbStompBattle 31-9]] and winning a record fifth Super Bowl MVP,[[note]]while the Patriots put up a losing record [[LoadBearingBoss for the first time since Brady started playing for them]][[/note]] an accomplishment that cemented Brady's name with UsefulNotes/MichaelJordan, UsefulNotes/MuhammadAli, UsefulNotes/WayneGretzky, and Creator/BabeRuth as the greatest competitor in their respective sport. Brady is the only quarterback to lead his teams to at least seven Super Bowls (he's now led them to ''ten''), holds the record for the most total Super Bowl touchdown passes, and is the first and only player to win six Super Bowls, later pushing the mark to seven, which is more than any ''team'' has won in the history of the Big Game. He is only the second player in history to win a title with two different teams (after Peyton Manning won with the Indianapolis Colts and Denver Broncos) and the first and only one to do so in both conferences.

Thomas Edward Patrick Brady Jr. (born August 3, 1977) is an UsefulNotes/AmericanFootball player. [[LongRunner From 2001 to 2019]], he was the starting quarterback for the New England Patriots, then moved to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2020. Brady is widely recognized as the greatest quarterback in [[UsefulNotes/NationalFootballLeague NFL]] history, with a resume of championships and statistics that dwarf those of almost every player who has played the position.

After playing college football for the UsefulNotes/UniversityOfMichigan, Tom Brady was drafted by the Patriots in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft. Brady [[FromNobodyToNightmare rose from obscurity]] and became the starter after perennial Pro-Bowler Drew Bledsoe was injured in Week 2 of the 2001 season, tallying an 11-3 record and winning the UsefulNotes/SuperBowl that year. In Brady's 18 full seasons as a starter in New England (he missed nearly all of 2008 with a torn ACL), the Patriots earned nine trips to the Super Bowl and won six. Following this, Brady joined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and led them to a Super Bowl victory in his first season with the team. Brady has won five Super Bowl MVP awards (the most ever), three league MVP awards, been selected to fourteen Pro Bowls (tied with [[TheRival longtime rival]] Creator/PeytonManning), and led the Patriots to more division titles than any other quarterback in NFL history, with seventeen. Brady has thrown more career touchdown passes than any NFL quarterback and is second on the all-time list for career passing yards (behind only Drew Brees). His career postseason record is 37-11; his playoff win total is the most in NFL history, over ''twice'' the number of runner-up (and Brady's childhood idol) Joe Montana, and he has likewise thrown for more passing yards and touchdowns than any quarterback in NFL postseason history. He helped set the record for the longest consecutive win streak in NFL history with 21 straight wins over two seasons (2003-4). He also set the record for most consecutive playoff wins with 10, and in 2007 led the Patriots to the first undefeated regular season since the institution of the 16-game schedule. He has the seventh highest career passer rating of all time (97.3) among quarterbacks with at least 1,500 career passing attempts.

Brady and Montana are the only two players in NFL history to win the NFL Most Valuable Player and Super Bowl MVP awards multiple times. Brady is the only quarterback to lead his team to at least seven Super Bowls (he's now led them to ''ten''), holds the record for the most total Super Bowl touchdown passes and is the first and only player to win six Super Bowls, later pushing the mark to seven. He is only the second player in history to win a title with two different teams (after Peyton Manning won with the Indianapolis Colts and Denver Broncos), but he is the first and only player to do so in both conferences. He was named the NFL MVP in 2007, 2010, and 2017 (in 2010 becoming the first player since 1986 to be unanimously chosen as MVP) as well as the 2007 Male Athlete of the Year by the Associated Press, the first NFL player to be so honored since 1990. He also became the first quarterback to throw for 50 or more touchdowns in a season. In 2010, he set the NFL record for consecutive passes without an interception (358).

After the 2019 season, Brady announced that he would be departing the Patriots after twenty years of playing in New England for a number of reasons (long-running tensions with Patriots head coach/general manager Bill Belichick and frustration with a perceived lack of talent on the Patriots roster among them) and signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Bucs were a long-struggling team that held the worst franchise winning record in all North American professional sports, hadn't visited the playoffs in thirteen years, and hadn't won a playoff game since their Super Bowl victory the year after Brady's first title. In his first year with the franchise, the Buccaneers returned to the Super Bowl and defeated the Chiefs 31-9, an accomplishment that cemented Brady's name with UsefulNotes/MichaelJordan, UsefulNotes/MuhammadAli, UsefulNotes/WayneGretzky, and Creator/BabeRuth as the greatest competitor in their respective sport.

* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: Possibly subverted. After the MiracleRally in Super Bowl LI, many fans and commentators, even many who admitted to not liking him much, began calling him the G.O.A.T. - the Greatest Of All Time. Still, don't mention the names Eli Manning and Nick Foles, or the numbers 18-1 anywhere near him. Brady himself is this to Ben Roethlisberger, who lost three AFC championship games to Brady's Patriots.