Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady is back in New England to take on his former Patriots squad in the most-anticipated game of the young NFL season.
Selected in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft by the Patriots, Brady played two decades at Gillette Stadium under head coach Bill Belichick. In the process, he became the greatest quarterback of all-time.
That included leading New England to a whopping six Super Bowl titles before earning his record seventh championship in his first season with Tampa Bay.
The backdrop to Sunday night’s game against his former team was the fact that Brady found himself 69 yards away from breaking Drew Brees’ all-time record for the most passing yards in NFL history.
It didn’t take Tom Terrific too long to accomplish that feat against his former team. In what has to be seen as one of the high-water marks in his lengthy and brilliant career, Brady completed this pass to Mike Evans for 28 yards to break Brees’ all-time record.
Tom Brady just continues to play absolutely spectacular football at the ripe age of 44. He entered Sunday’s action leading the NFL in completions (97) and passing touchdowns (10) while throwing for 1,087 yards and accumulating a mere two interceptions in three games.
Remember, Brady already holds the career mark with 591 touchdown passes. Brees is No. 2 on that list with 571 while Peyton Manning comes in this (539). This is what happens when you play at a high level for as long as Brady has.
Tom Brady and all-time NFL passing yards leader
- Tom Brady: 80,359 (and counting)
- Brew Brees: 80,358
- Peyton Manning: 71,940
- Brett Favre: 71,838
- Philip Rivers: 63,440
- Dan Marino: 61,361
In terms of active players, Ben Roethlisberger is second behind Brady. He entered Sunday’s game against the Green Bay Packers with 61,149 yards.
It’s hard to imagine anyone breaking Brady’s record any time soon. Perhaps, Aaron Rodgers comes close should he play at a high level into his mid 40’s. The reigning NFL MVP had 51,894 yards heading into Week 4.
Related: Find out where Tom Brady ranks among NFL quarterbacks