Future Hall of Fame quarterback Tom Brady will add another NFL record to his resume on Sunday Night Football, but don’t expect the New England Patriots to spend much time honoring the moment when it happens.
Brady is only 68 yards shy of passing Drew Brees (80,358) for the all-time NFL record for career passing yards. But while the historic milestone will be surpassed at Gillette Stadium, where Brady spent a majority of his legendary career, it seems the Patriots won’t make a big deal of it.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Patriots will briefly acknowledge when Brady sets the NFL passing record on Sunday night. However, the organization has no plans to stop the game for a special moment.
It’s a sharp contrast from what the New Orleans Saints did when Brees broke the record. In that game, the Saints brought Brees’ family onto the field, the entire stadium celebrated for several minutes and the football was taken by David Baker, the president of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
While a team stopping the game to celebrate the accomplishment of an opposing player would be unusual, the circumstances are very different in this case. Brady won six Super Bowl rings with the Patriots and a majority of his incredible numbers came with the franchise.
- Tom Brady stats (New England Patriots): 232-70 record, 80,291 passing yards, 591 passing touchdowns, 97.4 passer rating
Granted, considering the rocky relationship between Brady and Bill Belichick, it’s not a huge surprise that the Patriots won’t do anything special.
Even if the team doesn’t stop the game, expect the sold-out crowd at Gillette Stadium to give Brady a massive ovation. We’ll see if they maintain that energy if the MVP candidate starts racking up multiple touchdowns against the Patriots secondary.
