Tom Brady Patriots Induction: 12 Reasons Why QB’s Legacy Will Never Be Matched

Robert Kraft and the New England Patriots organization will pull out all the stops when they honor the legendary Tom Brady at Gillette Stadium on Wednesday night.

Brady will be inducted into the Patriots Hall of Fame in a first of its kind in-stadium ceremony. It will provide Patriots fans one — perhaps final? — time to honor the GOAT, who won six Super Bowls during his 20-year tenure with New England.

In honor of Brady’s career with the Patriots and in the NFL, we’ve compiled a list of 12 reasons why Brady’s legacy will never be matched:

The obvious
Brady holds records for the most wins (251), touchdown passes (649), passing yards (89,214), completions (7,753) and attempts (12,050) in NFL history. Oh yeah, and he won seven Super Bowls in his 23-year career — six of which came in New England. Brady once told Julian Edelman he wasn’t chasing three-time champion Joe Montana, but rather six-time NBA champ Michael Jordan. He accomplished that feat.

Longevity
Father Time never caught up with Brady. He did it at a never-done-before level for 23 seasons. In his age-45 campaign with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Brady led the league in completions (an NFL-record 490) and ranked third in passing yards (4,694). The year prior, at 44 years old, Brady led the NFL in yards (5,316) and touchdowns (43).

Mr. Clutch
Brady was at his best when everything was on the line. I mean, have you ever heard about New England’s 28-3 comeback against the Atlanta Falcons? Or what about New England’s 24-point deficit against Peyton Manning in 2013? Or maybe Brady’s overtime drive against the Kansas City Chiefs en route to Super Bowl LIII? There are too many examples to count.

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Competitive drive
Brady’s relentless work ethic and determination have been well-documented, but can’t be overstated. He was the ultimate competitor, and it played a massive role in why he went from being a sixth-round pick to the greatest of all-time.

Division dominance
From the time Brady entered the NFL in 2000, the Patriots won 17 AFC East titles. New England went 11 consecutive seasons winning the division (2009-2019). Brady retired with a .804 win percentage (90-22) against the AFC East and compiled a touchdown-to-interception ratio of 207-68.

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Weapons — or lack thereof?
Sure, Brady had one of the best tight ends of all-time in Rob Gronkowski and a few seasons with Pro Football Hall of Famer Randy Moss, who went off for 1,493 yards with 23 touchdowns during an All-Pro 2007 season with New England. But the majority of Brady’s pass-catching teammates were lesser-known players who he elevated to new heights. We’re looking at you, Chris Hogan.

Team-friendly contracts
Brady was criminally unpaid during his Patriots tenure as he accepted team-friendly deals in an effort to boost the team around him. In regards to NFL quarterback cap numbers, Brady ranked outside the top 10 in each of his final six seasons with New England (2014-2019), per Spotrac. Those contracts played a role in Brady departing Foxboro.

Tampa Tom
Brady likely would have been labeled the greatest ever if he retired after two decades with the Patriots. But his competitive spirit and will to win still burned bright. The fact Brady went to the Buccaneers and led the lowly organization to a Super Bowl in his first season cemented his GOAT status.

Teammate Tom
“Hi, I’m Tom Brady,” is how Brady would introduce himself to new teammates as if those teammates, both young and old, didn’t know who he was. It went a long way in Brady building a connection with those teammates, though, as many have expressed how much they appreciated the gesture from the A-list celebrity.

Cinderella start
Brady might have retired as the greatest of all-time, but that certainly isn’t how he entered. As you’ve almost certainly heard by now, the Michigan product was the 199th overall pick in the 2000 NFL Draft. He didn’t have an eye-popping arm or physical traits that jumped off the page — as best highlighted by his infamous 40-yard dash. It made his ascension into the starting job and everything after it all the more impressive.

Deflategate response
The Patriots were the subject of a few controversies during Brady’s tenure, but the quarterback himself was never hated more than during Deflategate. Brady ultimately served a four-game suspension for that air-filled controversy. However, he had the last laugh with commissioner Roger Goodell as he led New England to its fifth Super Bowl later that season. Brady accepting the Lombardi Trophy from Goodell made for one of the better photos in league history.

Value to Patriots
There’s an argument to be made that Brady elevated the Patriots organization into the money-maker it is today. New England was ranked the second-most profitable sports team by Forbes ($623 million). Chances are Kraft and company wouldn’t have the passionate fan base or new Gillette Stadium lighthouse without the man behind center.