Tom Brady’s career in the NFL is littered with accomplishments, and the 44-year-old is widely considered the greatest quarterback in league history. Let’s take a closer look at his career timeline, win-loss record, and career earnings.
Tom Brady’s career timeline
We all know the origin story by now. After an up-and-down career at the University of Michigan, Brady was selected 199th overall by the New England Patriots in the 2000 NFL Draft. The seventh quarterback drafted that year, Brady attempted only three passes in his rookie campaign while sitting behind starter Drew Bledsoe.
NFL history changed forever in the second game of the 2001 season. Bledsoe suffered internal bleeding after sustaining a hit from New York Jets linebacker Mo Lewis. Brady was forced to enter the game. He kept the job for the rest of the season and, aside from injury-related absences, never gave up the starting QB role for the rest of his career in New England.
Brady and the Pats pulled out an improbable victory over the St. Louis Rams in Super Bowl 36, toppling the heavy favorites on a last-second Adam Vinatieri field goal. After missing the postseason the following season, Brady won back-to-back Lombardi trophies in Super Bowls 38 (vs. the Carolina Panthers) and 39 (vs. the Philadelphia Eagles).
After finishing third in MVP voting in 2005, Brady took a slight step back in 2006 before the fireworks began in 2007. The Patriots acquired future Hall of Famer Randy Moss from the Oakland Raiders and fellow receiver Wes Welker from the Miami Dolphins, revamping Brady’s pass-catching corps.
Brady went on to post one of the greatest seasons in NFL history, tossing 50 touchdowns and winning the MVP. At the peak of his powers, Brady guided New England to an undefeated regular season, the NFL’s first since the 1972 Dolphins. However, the Patriots fell to the New York Giants in Super Bowl in one of the league’s most shocking upsets.
Injury and another Super Bowl run
In the first game of the 2008 season, Brady suffered a torn ACL and MCL and missed the rest of the year. He returned in 2009 to win Comeback Player of the Year, followed by his second MVP in 2010. After the 2011 campaign, Brady faced his old foe, the Giants, in Super Bowl 46, and Big Blue took him down again.
Brady finished second in MVP voting in 2013 before making another Super Bowl run in 2014. A decade after his previous Super Bowl, he orchestrated a fourth-quarter comeback against the Seattle Seahawks to win his fourth Lombardi.
However, this trip was marred by the Deflategate controversy. Brady was alleged to have been aware of Patriots employees illegally deflating footballs. The NFL eventually suspended him for the first four games of the 2016 season.
Despite missing those four games, Brady still managed to lead the Patriots to another Super Bowl victory via one of the greatest comebacks in sports history. Down 28-3 midway through the third quarter, Brady helped New England to 25 straight points to take the game to overtime, where the Patriots sealed the victory on their first possession.
In 2017, Brady won his third MVP award and again appeared in the Super Bowl. Despite throwing for a record 505 yards, the Patriots fell to the Eagles in Super Bowl 52. However, Brady got back to the title game the very next season and defeated the Los Angeles Rams for his sixth Lombardi trophy.
Brady joins the Bucs
By 2019, Brady and head coach Bill Belichick were at loggerheads. The Patriots lost to the Tennesee Titans in the Wild Card Round. Soon afterward, Brady announced he would not re-sign with New England, ending his 20-year run with the club.
After reaching free agency for the first time in his career, Brady signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and promptly won the Super Bowl in his first season with the team. At 43 years old, he threw 40 touchdowns and led the Bucs over the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl 55.
Brady finished second in the MVP race after the 2021 campaign. However, Tampa lost to the eventual Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams in the Divisional Round. With seven Super Bowls under his belt, Brady announced his retirement from the NFL — only to come back 40 days later.
How many years has Brady been in the NFL?
The 2022 season will mark Brady’s 23rd year in the NFL. He spent 20 years with the Patriots, and he’s now entering his third season with the Buccaneers. Brady has started 316 regular-season games, the most of any quarterback in league history.
He’s appeared in 318 total regular-season games, seventh-most in NFL history. If Brady plays at least 12 games in 2022, he’ll pass former Detroit Lions kicker Jason Hanson for sixth on the all-time games played list.
Brady’s win/loss record
Brady has won more games than any other NFL quarterback in history. He’s secured victories in 243 regular-season games and 35 playoff contests (both NFL records). All told, Brady went 243-73 in the regular season, and his 73% winning percentage is the best in league history.
He’ll have a chance to extend that record in 2022, as the Bucs are expected to win double-digit games. At this point, Brady doesn’t have any real competition from a historical perspective. But he can continue to expand his legacy with more victories next year.
Brady’s earnings over his 22-year career
Brady is the highest-earning quarterback in NFL history. That’s perhaps unsurprising given his performance, accolades, and era in which he played. Thus far, Brady has raked in nearly $303 million.
After returning from retirement earlier this year, Brady signed a new one-year contract with Tampa Bay. The fresh pact is nominally for $15 million, but plenty of prorated money is left in future years of his deal. Brady’s cap number for 2023 is just $11.896 million.