When Tom Brady officially announced his retirement via his social media channels, it was a reminder that nothing last forever, not even the greatest things.
Brady retires after 22 seasons (20 with the New England Patriots) as a seven-time Super Bowl winner, five-time Super Bowl MVP, three-time NFL MVP, and the all-time league leader in touchdown passes, passing yards and completions, wins and much more.
He’s also perhaps the only athlete to defeat father time, exiting the game on his own terms, playing at his near-peak level at age 44 with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Despite many in New England believing Brady not mentioning the Patriots in his first post as a spurning of his time in Foxboro, his next post, a video, insinuates there will be plenty of time to celebrate Brady’s Patriots career. And in all likelihood, Brady, himself, will also join in (jersey retirement! statue unveiling! etc.).
So let’s get a head start on the nostalgia-driven look-backs on the GOAT’s marvelous career.
Here’s a list of 12 ‘under-appreciated’ Tom Brady Patriots games. Not all of them are wins. And many of his signature moments (Super Bowl victories, etc.) are left off, along with all but one game played before “On to Cincinnati” in 2014. Social media and recent history constantly reminds us of the ‘Dynasty 2.0,’ 2014-and-on era. Here, we’ll tell the story of Brady’s evolution, and his ascension to the NFL’s all-time best player, in 12 games spanning 12 seasons.