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Bill Belichick: Patriots nearly took Tim Rattay over Tom Brady in 2000

How many more runs do Tom Brady and Bill Belichick have in them?

The New England Patriots drafted Tom Brady in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft. It’s fair to say that that selection has worked out well. But on Sunday, Bill Belichick said that the Pats had their sights on another quarterback.

It’s unclear what led New England to Brady over Rattay, but it’s fair to say that the right decision was made.

Rattay was ultimately selected 13 spots later by Brady’s hometown team, the San Francisco 49ers. From 2000-2005, Rattay played in 32 games for the 49ers, starting 16 times and posting a 4-12 record. After leaving San Francisco, Rattay played for a year with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and another with the Arizona Cardinals.

Brady, on the other hand, is objectively one of the best quarterbacks of all-time and has remained with the Patriots for his entire career.

The future Hall of Famer was the seventh quarterback taken in that year’s draft. Chad Pennington (New York Jets), Giovanni Carmazzi (49ers), Chris Redman (Baltimore Ravens), Tee Martin (Pittsburgh Steelers), Marc Bulger (New Orleans Saints), and Spergon Wynn (Cleveland Browns) were all taken before Brady was selected with the 199th pick.

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