Tom Brady's 49th Birthday Countdown

Tom Brady Timeline

Tom Brady NFL records

About Tom Brady

Drafted 199th overall in 2000, Brady became the greatest winner in NFL history: seven Super Bowl titles across the Patriots and Buccaneers, five Super Bowl MVPs, and a 23-season career that redefined quarterback longevity.

Pick number 199

Six quarterbacks went ahead of Tom Brady in the 2000 NFL Draft, and his scouting report sneered at his skinny frame and slow feet. When the sixth-rounder met Patriots owner Robert Kraft in the stadium stairwell, he made a promise Kraft never forgot: you'll never regret picking me. A year later an injury to starter Drew Bledsoe put Brady on the field, and he finished that same season lifting the Super Bowl trophy.

28-3, and the greatest comeback ever played

Trailing Atlanta 28-3 midway through Super Bowl LI, Brady engineered the biggest comeback in Super Bowl history, winning 34-28 in the game's first-ever overtime. It was ring number five of an eventual seven, the most of any player, six with New England and a seventh with Tampa Bay at age 43. He retired after 23 seasons as the NFL's all-time leader with 89,214 passing yards and 649 touchdown passes, plus five Super Bowl MVP awards.

Two decades of Best Buddies

Brady's signature cause is Best Buddies International, the nonprofit building friendships and jobs for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. As a longtime supporter and, since 2019, the organization's global ambassador, he has helped raise more than $46 million through events like the annual Best Buddies Challenge bike ride in Massachusetts. He also launched the TB12 Foundation in 2015 to provide pro bono training and rehab support to young and underserved athletes.

Quick facts

• Born August 3, 1977, in San Mateo, California
• Seven Super Bowl championships — the most of any player
• Five-time Super Bowl MVP
• Famously drafted 199th overall in the 2000 NFL Draft
• NFL all-time leader with 89,214 passing yards and 649 touchdown passes
• Won his seventh title at age 43 in his first season with Tampa Bay