Tom Brady's Success and Achievements in Timeline

A closer look at the biggest achievements of Tom Brady. Awards, milestones, and records that define success.

Tom Brady is a retired American football quarterback, widely considered the greatest of all time. He played 23 seasons in the NFL, 20 with the New England Patriots and 3 with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Brady was a key player in the Patriots dynasty from 2001 to 2019.

Sections (7)

Full Timeline Early Life & Education Career & Achievements Success & Recognition Challenges & Struggles Controversies & Scandals Legacy & Impact

1978: Undefeated Regular Season

In 2007, Tom Brady led the Patriots to the first undefeated regular season since the 16-game schedule was implemented in 1978.

1990: AP Male Athlete of the Year

In 2007, Tom Brady was honored by the Associated Press as their Male Athlete of the Year, the first time an NFL player earned the honor since Joe Montana won in 1990.

1998: Michigan Wolverines' victory in the Rose Bowl

In 1998, the Michigan Wolverines, with Brian Griese, achieved victory in the Rose Bowl.

2000: Achievements while at Michigan

By 2000, Tom Brady ended his career ranking third in Michigan history with 710 attempts and 442 completions, fourth with 5,351 yards and 62 completion percentage, and fifth with 35 touchdown passes.

2000: Led Michigan to an Overtime Win in the Orange Bowl

In 2000, Tom Brady led Michigan to an overtime win in the Orange Bowl over Alabama, throwing for 369 yards and four touchdowns.

2001: AFC Offensive Player of the Week

In 2001, Tom Brady was named AFC Offensive Player of the Week for the first time after leading the Patriots to a 29-26 victory over the San Diego Chargers. Brady finished the game with 364 passing yards and two touchdowns. He won his second nomination after a four-touchdown day in a 34–17 win over the New Orleans Saints in Week 11.

2001: Beginning of Brady-Belichick Era

In 2001, the Brady–Belichick era began, marking the start of the New England Patriots' dynasty.

2002: Super Bowl Win and MVP Award

In 2002, Tom Brady led the New England Patriots to a Super Bowl victory over the St. Louis Rams. He was named Super Bowl MVP, throwing for 145 yards and one touchdown. Following this victory, Drew Bledsoe was traded to the Buffalo Bills, cementing Brady's status as the Patriots' starting quarterback.

2003: Consecutive Titles in 2003

In 2003, Tom Brady and the Patriots secured a Super Bowl title.

2003: AFC Offensive Player of the Week

In 2003, Tom Brady led the Patriots to twelve consecutive victories to finish the regular season at 14-2. He won AFC Offensive Player of the Week twice, in Weeks 9 and 17.

2003: Inducted into Junipero Serra High School Hall of Fame

In 2003, Tom Brady was inducted into the Junípero Serra High School Hall of Fame.

2003: Patriots Regular Season

In 2003, the Patriots finished the regular season with a 14-2 record.

2004: Consecutive Titles in 2004

In 2004, Tom Brady and the Patriots secured another Super Bowl title.

2004: NFL Record Winning Streak

In 2004, Tom Brady helped the New England Patriots set an NFL record with 21 straight wins dating from the previous year.

2004: Super Bowl XXXIX Victory

In 2004, Tom Brady led the New England Patriots to victory in Super Bowl XXXIX, defeating the Philadelphia Eagles 24-21 and capturing their third championship in four years. Brady threw for 236 yards and two touchdowns in the win.

2004: Breaking Manning's Record

In 2007, during the last game of the season against the Giants, Tom Brady threw his 50th touchdown of the season, breaking Peyton Manning's single-season record of 49 from 2004.

2005: AFC Offensive Player of the Week

In 2005, Tom Brady won AFC Offensive Player of the Week for his Week 5 performance against the Atlanta Falcons, where he threw for 350 yards and three touchdowns.

2007: Record-Breaking Season

In 2007, Tom Brady had one of the best seasons by a quarterback, leading the Patriots to the first 16-0 regular-season record in NFL history. He was named AFC Offensive Player of the Month for September and October. He attained career, franchise, and NFL records and milestones. Brady was named as the AFC Offensive Player of the Week five times.

2007: League MVP

In 2007, Tom Brady was named league MVP.

October 18, 2009: Brady sets NFL record for most touchdowns in a quarter

On October 18, 2009, Tom Brady set an NFL record against the Titans for most touchdowns in a quarter, throwing five in the second quarter. He finished the game with six touchdowns, tying his career high, and 380 yards, resulting in a near-perfect passer rating. The Patriots' 59–0 victory tied the record for the largest margin of victory since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger, and set a record for the largest halftime lead in NFL history. He was named AFC Offensive Player of the Week for his performance.

2009: Start of 11 consecutive division titles

From 2009 to 2019, Tom Brady led the Patriots to 11 consecutive division titles.

2009: AFC Offensive Player of the Week

In the 2009 season opener, Tom Brady threw for 378 yards and two touchdowns in his first game in more than a year. He won AFC Offensive Player of the Week for his performance against the Buffalo Bills, leading the Patriots to a 25-24 win.

2010: League MVP

In 2010, Tom Brady was named league MVP, the first unanimous MVP.

2011: Start of eight consecutive AFC Championship Games

From 2011 to 2018, Tom Brady led the Patriots to eight consecutive AFC Championship Games.

2012: Brady Family Stadium Named

In 2012, after Tom Brady's visit to Junípero Serra High School, the school's football stadium was named Brady Family Stadium.

2013: Greatest Passing Season

In 2013, ESPN unanimously voted Tom Brady's 2007 season as the greatest passing season ever.

2013: Brady breaks TD:INT ratio record

In 2016, Tom Brady ended the regular season with 28 passing touchdowns and only two interceptions, breaking the previous TD:INT ratio record of Nick Foles's 27:2 figure set in 2013 with the Eagles.

December 20, 2016: Brady named to Pro Bowl

On December 20, 2016, Tom Brady was named to the Pro Bowl for the eighth straight season and 12th time overall.

2017: Brady ranked first on NFL Top 100 Players of 2017

In 2016, Tom Brady was ranked first on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2017 as the best player in the league, becoming the first player to be named as #1 twice since the listing began.

2017: 2017 Season Highlights

In 2017, Tom Brady broke the record for most AFC Offensive Player of the Week awards, won his third AFC Offensive Player of the Month award, was selected to the Pro Bowl for the 13th time, and was named the NFL Most Valuable Player for the third time.

2017: League MVP

In 2017, Tom Brady was named league MVP.

2018: Ranked No. 1 by fellow players on NFL Top 100 Players of 2018

For the second straight year and third time overall, Tom Brady was ranked No. 1 by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2018.

2018: End of eight consecutive AFC Championship Games

In 2018, Tom Brady led the Patriots to their eighth consecutive AFC Championship Game.

2019: 19th NFL season

In 2019, Tom Brady had his 500th career touchdown pass, secured his 200th career regular season win, and reached 70,000 passing yards, and was selected for his 14th career Pro Bowl nomination.

2019: End of 11 consecutive division titles

In 2019, Tom Brady led the Patriots to their 11th consecutive division title.

2019: Named to the 100th Anniversary All-Time Team

In 2019, Tom Brady was unanimously named to the NFL's 100th Anniversary All-Time Team.

2020: Joined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers

In 2020, Tom Brady joined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and subsequently won Super Bowl LV.

2020: Led Tampa Bay to a wild card berth

In 2020, Tom Brady led Tampa Bay to a wild card berth.

2020: Named to the NFL 100 All-Time Team

In 2020, during the NFL's celebration of their 100th season, Tom Brady was named to the NFL 100 All-Time Team.

2021: Defeated all 32 Teams

In 2021, Tom Brady became one of four quarterbacks to defeat all 32 teams.

2021: Record-Breaking Season

In 2021, Tom Brady had a record-breaking season, becoming the first quarterback in NFL history to record 600 touchdown passes, surpassing Brees for most all-time pass completions, and finishing with an NFL record 485 pass completions.

2021: Super Bowl LV Victory

In 2021, Tom Brady led the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a 31-9 win over the Chiefs in Super Bowl LV, earning his fifth Super Bowl MVP award and his seventh Super Bowl win overall.

2021: Set season record for completions

In 2021, Tom Brady set the season record for completions and led the league in passing yards and touchdowns; his passing yards were a career high.

2022: Won NFC South title with Tampa Bay

In 2022, Tom Brady won an NFC South title with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

September 10, 2023: Patriots announce Hall of Fame induction and jersey retirement

During a halftime ceremony on September 10, 2023, Robert Kraft announced that the Patriots would waive the traditional waiting period for Tom Brady's candidacy to the Patriots Hall of Fame, as well as directly inducting him without the customary ballot. His number 12 jersey will be formally retired.