National Football League

Tom Brady through the years: Timeline of a Hall of Fame career

Updated Jan. 18, 2023 11:00 a.m. ET

Tom Brady has compiled a ridiculous amount of awards, statistics and accolades — not to mention championships — throughout his career.

In fact, his résumé is so uniquely bloated that some have argued that he has had two, or maybe even three, Hall of Fame careers rolled into one. That's not bad for the 199th overall pick in the 2000 draft.

So after Brady officially announced his retirement on Instagram Tuesday morning, let's break down the amazing numbers he put together over the course of his 22-year career in a timeline and consider his greatness by era.

Let's take a look:

BRADY IN HIS 20s (2000-06)

Record: 70-26 (.729) in regular season, 12-2 (.857) in playoffs

Championships: Three in three Super Bowl appearances

MVPs: Zero

Key stats: 21,564 passing yards, 147 touchdowns, 78 interceptions

Skip Bayless reacts to Tom Brady officially announcing his retirement

Tom Brady announced his retirement on Instagram Tuesday, saying, "I have loved my NFL career, and now it is time to focus my time and energy on other things that require my attention." Skip Bayless reacts to the end of Brady's 22-year career.

Notes:

— Drafted by New England in the sixth round out of Michigan, Brady was a fourth-stringer as a rookie, appearing in only one game and completing one of his three pass attempts for 6 yards.

— He was again a reserve heading into the 2001 season, but when Drew Bledsoe was injured in Week 2, Brady was named the starter for the following week and never looked back. Brady led the Patriots on a season-ending tear, ultimately beating the Rams to win Super Bowl XXXVI. It was the Patriots' first championship and Brady's first Super Bowl MVP award.

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— After going 9-7 and missing the playoffs in 2002, Brady came back strong in 2003. He finished third in MVP voting behind co-winners Peyton Manning and Steve McNair, then went out and beat them both in the playoffs. First, the Patriots topped McNair's Titans in the divisional round, and then they beat Manning's Colts in the AFC Championship. Brady passed for 354 yards and three touchdowns in a 32-29 victory over Carolina in Super Bowl XXXVIII.

— The Patriots took home the Vince Lombardi Trophy again following the 2004 season, defeating the Eagles in Super Bowl XXXIX. It remains the last time an NFL team has won back-to-back championships.

"I didn't want him to go out like this, but I'm happy for him."

Shannon Sharpe reacts to the news that Tom Brady's retirement is official.

BRADY IN HIS 30s (2007-2016)

Record: 113-28 (.801) in regular season, 13-7 (.650) in playoffs

Championships: Two in four Super Bowl appearances

MVPs: Two (2007, 2010)

Key stats: 40,018 passing yards, 309 touchdowns, 74 interceptions

Notes:

— Brady won his first regular-season MVP in 2007 — and for good reason. He led the NFL in passing yards (4,806), touchdown passes (50) and passer rating (117.2). The Patriots went 16-0 in the regular season, then marched to the Super Bowl with designs on joining the 1972 Dolphins as the only NFL teams in the Super Bowl era to have unbeaten seasons. The Pats, however, fell to Eli Manning's New York Giants 17-14 in Super Bowl XLII.

— Brady suffered a knee injury in 2008's season opener, putting him out for the season. The Pats went 11-5 without him but missed the playoffs due to tiebreakers. He returned in 2009 and passed for 4,398 yards, earning the NFL's Comeback Player of the Year award.

— In 2010, Brady led the NFL with 36 touchdown passes (and only four interceptions) and a 111.0 passer rating, earning his second MVP award. The Patriots lost to the Jets in the divisional round of the playoffs.

— The Patriots again reached the Super Bowl following the 2011 season and again were defeated by the Giants, this time blowing a 17-9 third-quarter lead on the way to a 21-17 defeat.

— Brady passed for 4,109 yards in the 2014 season, then led the Patriots to a 28-24 victory over the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XLIX (with help from a remarkable goal-line stand). It was Brady's fourth championship, tying him with Joe Montana and Terry Bradshaw for the most by a quarterback.

— In May 2015, the NFL released an extensive report on the deflating of footballs in the previous season's AFC Championship, a 45-7 blowout of the Colts. The report concluded that Brady was at least aware of the intentional deflation, and he was suspended four games for what would become known as "Deflategate."

— Brady returned from his suspension to start the 2016 season and passed for 3,554 yards in 12 games as the Patriots went 11-1. They then defeated the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl LI, rallying from a record deficit of 28-3 to win in overtime. It was Brady's fifth ring.

BRADY IN HIS 40s (2017-2021)

Record: 60-21 (.741) in regular season, 10-3 (.769) in playoffs

Championships: Two in three Super Bowl appearances

MVPs: One (2017)

Key stats: 22,938 passing yards, 168 touchdowns, 51 interceptions

Notes:

— At age 40, Brady led the league in passing yardage (4,577) in the 2017 season on the way to winning his third MVP award. The Patriots, though, came up short in Super Bowl LII, falling to the Eagles in a 41-33 shootout. Remember the "Philly Special?"

— The Patriots completed the 2018 season by shutting down the Rams 13-3 to win Super Bowl LIII, giving Brady his sixth Super Bowl ring.

— After a 2019 season that ended with a disappointing loss to the Titans in the wild-card round, Brady and the Patriots parted ways. The quarterback then signed a two-year, $60 million contract to join the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

— The Bucs went 11-5 in Brady's first season, not only notching their first playoff win in 18 years but also marching all the way to a championship, dominating Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs 31-9 in Super Bowl LV. It was Brady's seventh title.

— At age 44, Brady passed for a career-best 5,316 yards. He led the NFL in passing yards, touchdown passes (43) and passing yards per game (312.7). The last drive of Brady's career, which came in the NFC's divisional round against the Rams, resulted in a touchdown. But the Rams rallied to win the contest 30-27.