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Overview

Brady's success as a passer has been attributed to his work ethic, competitive spirit, pocket awareness, and intelligence. Brady started 381 games (333 regular season, 48 playoff) in 23 seasons, the most for an NFL quarterback. His first 20 seasons were with the Patriots, which is the most for an NFL quarterback with one franchise. He served as the primary starter in 21 of his seasons, holding a backup role during his rookie campaign and missing nearly all the 2008 season due to injury. The 2008 season marks the only time Brady did not start because of injury. During his 21 seasons as the primary starter, he missed the playoffs only once (in 2002) and had only one losing season (in 2022). Throughout his 23 seasons in the NFL, Brady never played a snap where his team was mathematically eliminated from playoff contention. With the Patriots, Brady led the team to 17 AFC East titles. He led the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2020 to a wild card berth, the only time his team did not make the playoffs as a division winner, and NFC South titles the following two seasons.

The winningest quarterback in NFL history, Brady won 251 regular season games and 35 postseason games for a combined 286 wins. Brady holds a.754 winning percentage, which is the highest among NFL quarterbacks who have started 100 games. He is the only NFL quarterback to win 200 regular season games and his 35 postseason victories are more than twice those of any other quarterback. Brady is the only NFL quarterback to win all 16 regular season games (2007). In 2021, Brady became one of four quarterbacks to defeat all 32 NFL teams. Brady has the most Pro Bowl selections in NFL history at 15 and was named league MVP three times in 2007, 2010 and 2017. His 2010 MVP was awarded in a unanimous decision; the first time this distinction was achieved. Brady was named Male Athlete of the Year in 2007. He is one of only three players to win multiple NFL MVP and Super Bowl MVP awards.

Brady's 21 seasons as the primary starter led to seven Super Bowl titles, the most of any player and more than any NFL franchise. Overall, he appeared in a record 10 Super Bowls; just under half of the seasons in which he was the primary starter and more than any NFL franchise other than the Patriots. He and Peyton Manning are the only starting quarterbacks to win the Super Bowl for more than one franchise, with Brady winning six for the Patriots and one for the Buccaneers. In his seven victories, Brady set the record for Super Bowl MVP awards with five. Having earned Super Bowl MVP honors with both New England and Tampa Bay, Brady is the only player to win the award with multiple franchises.

Holding nearly every major quarterback record, Brady is the career, regular season, and playoff NFL leader in passing yards, attempts, and touchdown passes. He is the only NFL quarterback to have 600 passing touchdowns in the regular season. Brady holds career and postseason records for completions. In his 333 career starts, he is the only NFL quarterback to have three separate streaks of consecutive starts of over 100 games. Brady's 111 consecutive starts from 2001 to 2008 ended because of his injury, and his 112 consecutive starts from 2009 to 2016 ended after he was suspended. For the remainder of his career, Brady had 110 consecutive starts from 2016 to 2022. His longevity led to him setting age records. Brady is the NFL's oldest quarterback to be named to the Pro Bowl (age 44), be named Super Bowl MVP (age 43), win a Super Bowl as the starting quarterback (age 43), and be named league MVP (age 40). Up until his retirement, he was the last player drafted before 2004 on an NFL roster.

On the Patriots, Brady and head coach Bill Belichick formed the NFL's most successful quarterback–head coach tandem. They were consistently credited with the Patriots' dynasty from 2001 to 2019, resulting in the dynasty being named the Brady–Belichick era after them. The dynasty is regarded as one of the greatest in sports history, with Brady's successes helping the Patriots set the records for Super Bowl appearances (11) and wins (6, tied with the Pittsburgh Steelers). During Brady's first season as the primary starter, the franchise won its first championship in Super Bowl XXXVI, with consecutive titles following in 2003 and 2004. The Patriots won an NFL-record 21 consecutive games (regular season and playoffs) during this period, while Brady won 10 consecutive postseason games (also his first 10 postseason games), another NFL record.

Brady maintained the Patriots' status as perennial postseason contenders throughout his tenure, although they did not win another Super Bowl until a decade after their third. His next two appearances both ended in upset defeats to the New York Giants; the first loss in 2007's Super Bowl XLII also prevented Brady and the Patriots from obtaining a perfect 19–0 season. Brady returned to dominant postseason form in 2014 when he led the Patriots to their fourth title in Super Bowl XLIX. This was followed by Brady making three consecutive Super Bowl appearances from 2016 to 2018, which secured New England's fifth and sixth titles in Super Bowl LI and Super Bowl LIII.

When Brady signed with Tampa Bay in 2020, the team had not reached the postseason since 2007 or won a playoff game since 2002. Brady helped end both droughts en route to the Buccaneers winning Super Bowl LV. In 2021, he set the season record for completions and led the league in passing yards and touchdowns; his passing yards were also a career-high. In his final season, despite finishing with a losing record for the first time, Brady broke his single-season completion record and set the season record for attempts.

One of the NFL's most decorated and accomplished players, Brady is widely cited as the greatest quarterback of all time. He is one of NFL's greatest players of all time and one of the greatest athletes in sports history.