Tom Brady is one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history and arguably the finest player to have ever played the game.
But what makes him so great, and just how much has he achieved?
You can find out below as we list some of the top Tom Brady facts.
Top 15 Facts About Tom Brady
1. Tom Brady is one of the highest-paid players in NFL history.
As of 2021, Brady has earned close to $308 million, with an additional $160 million from off-field endeavours.
After the 2021 season, the second-highest earner after Brady was Drew Brees, trailing him with almost $38 million in on-field earnings.
2. Brady has played in more Super Bowls than any other NFL athlete.
Perhaps one of the most interesting facts about Tom Brady is that he has appeared in 10 Super Bowls during his illustrious career, more than any other player in the sport’s history. Gostkowski and Lodish share second place with six appearances each.
3. Brady has also won more Super Bowls than any other player or NFL team.
The top Tom Brady Super Bowl facts also include his unprecedented 7 Super Bowl rings, six of which he won while playing for one of the most valuable sports teams the Patriots.
The seventh came while playing for the Buccaneers after a very memorable game against the Chiefs in the 2020 season.
So if you don’t know how to choose an NFL team to support in the future, just pick the one where Brady is playing.
4. Currently, Tom Brady is the oldest active NFL player and one of two players over 40 years of age.
Born on 3 August 1977, Tom Brady will be taking the field yet again for the 2022 season, and by the time the season starts, he’ll be 45 years of age. As of May 2021, only Andrew Whitworth (Rams’ offensive tackle) is the only other active player in the fifth decade of his life.
5. Tom Brady’s career has lasted over a decade longer than any other quarterback in his draft class.
When it comes to the quarterbacks chosen in the 2000 NFL Draft, Tom Brady is the last man standing. Pennington, Martin, Wynn, and Carmazzi are some of the passers chosen ahead of Brady, but the GOAT has outlasted all of them by more than a decade and is still going strong!
6. In fact, Tom Brady is projected to outlast entire draft classes after his.
After the 2020 season, Tom Brady had also outlasted all of the 2001 NFL draftees and some veteran free agents of the 2002 and 2003 draft classes who failed to find a roster place.
If he continues playing past the 2022 season, this record will get even more impressive.
7. Brady had a very late start to his football career.
Our list of interesting facts about Tom Brady wouldn’t be complete without mentioning the late start to his football career.
Let’s put it this way: if you had picked up a football for the first time at 14 years of age without knowing where the kneepads went, no one would have expected you to become one of the NFL’s most iconic players ever!
8. Tom Brady’s final college game took place on New Year’s Day 2000.
Despite his slow start, Brady’s college career was exemplary. He ended his senior season with Michigan Wolverines playing in the Orange Bowl on New Year’s Day 2000.
By the end, he threw for 369 yards and four touchdowns in a 35-34 overtime win against Alabama.
9. Tom Brady was the 199th overall pick of the 2000 NFL Draft.
During the 2000 NFL Draft, six quarterbacks were selected before Brady, who was the 199th overall pick.
Well, none of the other six has ever won a Super Bowl, and the New England Patriots got much more than their seventh quarterback in franchise history.
10. He is one of the youngest quarterbacks to win a Super Bowl.
If you need more Tom Brady Super Bowl facts as impressive as his number of appearances and wins, note that he is also the third-youngest QB to win the playoffs’ final game.
When he won the Super Bowl XXXVI, he was 24 years old, and only Roethlisberger and Mahones were younger during their triumphs.
11. Tom Brady has played in 3 of the 5 most-watched television events in U.S. history.
The Super Bowl is unquestionably the most-watched television event each year in the U.S. While some say it’s because of the half-time show, we shouldn’t discount the Tom Brady factor.
For instance, the first, fourth and fifth-most watched broadcasts in U.S. history are the XLIX, XLVI and LI Super Bowls, and unsurprisingly, Tom Brady was the star of the show.
12. Tom Brady needs to play through the 2025 season to break the record of the oldest ever NFL player.
To become the oldest NFL athlete ever, Brady has to play until the 2026 season, as hall-of-famer George Blanda played his final season with the Oakland Raiders in 1975 when he was 48 years old.
Besides that, Brady also broke the NFL’s all-time passing record.
13. Despite being the highest-paid player in the NFL, he was still making less money than his wife during his prime.
While Brady’s accomplishments seem impressive and his paycheck reflects them, his wife was still out-earning him during his prime.
For instance, Gisele was the world’s top-earning supermodel for ten straight years, earning $1 billion in the process and is considered one of the hottest NFL wags.
14. The stadium where Tom Brady’s first NFL completion took place was demolished.
During his rookie 2000 season, Brady was a seldom-used backup quarterback, but he saw action during a 45-10 loss to the Detroit Lions at the Pontiac Silverdome.
The Lions last played at that stadium in 2001, and it was destroyed in 2018.
15. In spite of his meteoric success with the Patriots, he was considering a move for a long time before actually making one.
During their time together, Brady and head coach Bill Belichick frequently clashed, so he was thinking about moving to another franchise for quite some time.
So, after his first public retirement, the Buccaneers successfully acquired his services for the 2020 and 2021 seasons.
Beyond the Touchdown
As you can see from our Tom Brady facts, he is one of, if not the best, quarterback in NFL history. His stats are peerless, and he has appeared in and has won more Super Bowls than any other player.
So how does one stay at the top of the game for longer than two decades? The answer is a perfect combination of willpower, diet, hard work, and a pinch of luck.
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