Tom Brady Super Bowl Wins and History

Who would have thought a sem-starting quarterback from Michigan would win seven Super Bowls and change the NFL forever?

Tom Brady entered the NFL as a round six pick by the New England Patriots in the 2000 NFL draft. The pick didn’t register much with fans until a cold September day during the 2001 season. Brady was called in to replace starter Drew Bledsoe, who would ultimately lose his job to the future legend.

Flash forward to today, and Brady has a total of seven Super Bowl rings to his name, more than any other player in NFL history. That’s also more Super Bowl titles than any NFL franchise, thanks to Brady’s short stint with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

We’re taking a look back on Brady’s historic run, including his many Super Bowl appearances. We’ll share stats and data, along with some insider facts many fans may not know.

Complete List of Brady's Super Bowl Appearances

Brady's seven Super Bowl rings don’t account for all of his trips to the NFL’s biggest game. Below is a table detailing each quarterback's appearances in the championship game.

The 7 Wins: How Brady Won His Rings

Tom Brady's seven Super Bowls came at different points in his career. Some were while he was young and first gaining fame, some late in his career, and one with a new franchise. Each run featured very different situations and teams, making his run even more impressive.

We've broken his Super Bowls into three different phases of Brady's career, starting with his first appearance.

The Early Years (2001-2005)

Tom Brady’s rocket into stardom in the NFL didn’t take long to take off.

After being selected late in the 2000 draft, Brady was called into action on September 30, 2001. He entered the game after nine-year starter Drew Bledsoe, who had led the Pats to the Super Bowl a few seasons before, exited with an injury.  The young passer led the team to its first win of the season, and would go on to lead New England to its first Super Bowl win over a great Rams team.

As impressive as winning a Super Bowl as a first-season starter, many NFL media voices questioned the role Brady really played. His states weren’t great, and the team was benefiting from a great defense. 

Brady silenced many of those doubters by winning the Super Bowl again in 2004 and 2005, where his stats were far more impressive. While some still hesitated to name him as an all-time great, the majority now acknowledged his role in the short dynasty. 

The Comeback Era (2014-2019)

The critics resurfaced after the Pats’ 2005 Super Bowl title, as the team wouldn’t add another for another decade. While Brady remained great and appeared in two more, the team failed to win either.

That changed in 2015 when Brady led the Patriots to a win against Seattle in Super Bowl XLIX. Brady's second interception of the game had the Pats trailing by ten heading into the fourth quarter, but he delivered two fourth-quarter touchdown drives of 64+ yards. That was enough to get a thrilling win, landing the quarterback his fourth Super Bowl.

Brady brought the Pats back to the big game in 2017, where they defeated the Atlanta Falcons in overtime. New England had been down 28-3 in the second quarter, but managed to tie the game with a 19-point fourth. The quarterback led the Pats on a 75-yard touchdown drive in overtime get the win, finishing the game with a whopping 466 passing yards and a pair of scores. 

While Brady's passing stats dipped slightly during the 2018 season, he still guided the team to another Super Bowl title, beating the newly-moved Rams 13-3. The win gave Brady and the Pats their sixth Super Bowl title, but also raised questions about how much the aging quarterback had left to give.

The Tampa Bay Title

The Pats went 12-4 during the 2019 season but suffered a stunning first-round playoff exit at the hands of the Tennessee Titans. Brady wasn’t great in the loss, leading to more talk about his future in the league.

On March 17, 2020, Tom Brady stunned the league by announcing he would not re-sign with the Pats and was considering retirement. The 20-year veteran was rumored to have fallen out with Belichick, who many viewed as the engine behind the team’s impressive 20-year run. Brady signed a deal with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers just three days later, and quickly proved those doubters wrong.

In his first season with his new team, Brady shocked the league by passing for 4,633 yards and 40 touchdowns. His impressive play continued into the playoffs, leading Tampa to a dominant 31-9 win over Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs in Super Bowl LV.

While Brady won just one Super Bowl with Tampa, it allowed him to earn his seventh ring and prove his success wasn’t due to his former coach.

The 3 Losses: Who Beat Tom Brady

While Tom Brady has a record seven Super Bowl wins, he came close to finishing with ten.

The quarterback has three Super Bowl losses on his resume, all of which were decided by no more than one score. 

His first two losses came to the same opponent: The Eli Manning-led New York Giants. 

One of those came in 2008 and gave us the now-famous “Helmet Catch.” It happened on a 32-yard pass to David Tyree, who had the football lodge into his helmet during the contested catch on the Giants’ final drive. It was a massive play to keep the drive alive and set up a game-winning touchdown from Plaxico Burress. 

The other Giants loss came in 2012, when Eli Manning outdueled Brady. Eli led the Giants on another game-winning 88-yard drive, which ended with a 6-yard rushing touchdown from Ahmad Bradshaw.

Brady's final Super Bowl loss came against the Eagles in 2018. Backup quarterback Nick Foles had an incredible game, leading the Eagles to a 41-33 win. The loss erased an incredible game from Brady, who passed for 505 yards and three touchdowns. Unfortunately, a costly fourth-quarter fumble from the quarterback would lead to the loss.

Retirement, Hall of Fame, and Life After Football

Tom Brady played at a high level for longer than any other quarterback in history, but his incredible run couldn’t last forever. 

Brady's Retirement

The quarterback announced his retirement from the NFL on February 1, 2023. It came just two weeks after the Bucs were crushed by the Cowboys in the Wild Card Round, thanks in part to struggles from Brady. While some criticized Brady for announcing the massive news while the NFL playoffs were underway, all recognized the hole the legend’s absence would leave.

Some fans held out hope that Brady would once again change his mind about retirement, but it proved to be the official end of his NFL career.

Hall of Fame Eligibility Coming in 2028

There is little question that Tom Brady will be a first-ballot Hall of Famer. However, NFL rules require players to be retired for five years to be eligible for induction. This means his first vote will come in 2028.

While Brady's first-ballot status seems inevitable, his former coach just showed that it isn’t guaranteed. The NFL Hall of Fame did not select former Patriots’ coach and six-time champion Bill Belichick during his first time on the ballot. The news stunned NFL fans, leading some to wonder if Brady's Tampa title made voters doubt the legendary coach's role in the New England dynasty.

Broadcasting Career

Tom Brady landed a massive deal with Fox Sports faster than any other former star. He had no experience broadcasting, but the network decided his legend was well worth the impressive price tag.

Brady's quick entry into broadcasting led to plenty of blowback from fans. Usually, new broadcasters start with smaller games to learn the trade, but Fox threw Brady into the fire right away. 

The former quarterback has been a quick study at his new trade, once again proving the critics wrong.

Raiders Ownership

In 2024, it was announced that Tom Brady had bought a 5% stake in the Las Vegas Raiders. The embattled franchise recently moved from Oakland to Las Vegas, and Brady is looking to help return it to prominence.

The purchase raised questions about his role as a broadcasters, who have inside access to the teams they are covering. Some teams feared Brady would share what we saw with the Raiders, giving away any edges they have.

The NFL allowed Brady to make the purchase despite his role with FOX, as long as teams could keep him out of typical pre-game meetings. 

Brady vs. NFL Franchises

The NFL has prided itself on the competitiveness of its league, which has made true dynasties few and far between. Some teams go decades between Super Bowl titles, while a handful of others are still searching for their first. The NFL playoffs are single-elimination, making reaching the big game even more difficult.

This is what makes Tom Brady's seven Super Rings so special. The Steelers and Patriots lead the NFL with six rings each, making them the only franchises with more than any other. The record obviously won’t last, but it will be forever cemented in the league’s history.

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