In 2000, the New England Patriots drafted Tom Brady as their fourth quarterback, behind Drew Bledsoe, John Friesz, and Michael Bishop. The following year, Brady rose from the ranks and won the backup job behind Bledsoe. Brady then became the starter after Bledsoe suffered a devastating season-ending injury in Week 2 of the 2001 season. Since then, Brady became the focal point of the Patriots offense, leading them to six Super Bowl victories. Along the way, Brady has had several backup quarterbacks, and he was reunited with some of them during the Kentucky Derby on Saturday (May 4).

The 41-year-old Brady posted a photo on his Twitter account with his former backups, including Jimmy Garoppolo, Jacoby Brissett, Matt Cassel, and Kliff Kingsbury. Brady accompanied the photo with the caption “*Insert gif of me yelling Let’s Go below*.” Aside from Brady and his backups, included in the photo was former Patriots linebacker and now Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel. Patriots head coach Bill Belichick was also spotted at Churchill Downs with his long-time girlfriend Linda Holliday.

Garoppolo was Brady’s long-time backup

Garoppolo was Brady’s backup for almost four seasons before he was traded to the San Francisco 49ers in October 2017. It was reported that Belichick was ordered to trade Garoppolo after Brady told team owner Robert Kraft that he wants to play until he’s 45 years old.

Kraft’s order reportedly infuriated Belichick as he wanted to turn Garoppolo into a starter in the near future. The trade worked well for Garoppolo, as he signed a massive five-year deal worth $137.5 million with the 49ers.

Brissett, for his part, was traded by the Patriots to the Colts in September 2017 for wide receiver Philip Dorsett.

With franchise quarterback Andrew Luck sidelined with an injury, Brissett started 15-of-16 games for the Colts, throwing for 3,098 yards and 13 touchdowns with seven picks. When Luck returned last season, Brissett was relegated to the backup role. Cassel last played for the Detroit Lions in 2018 and is currently a free agent.

Kingsbury, for his part, was recently hired as head coach of the Arizona Cardinals after a fruitful head coaching stint at Texas Tech. Kingsbury recently drafted quarterback Kyler Murray as the No. 1 overall pick despite having Josh Rosen as the starting quarterback. Rosen was later traded to the Miami Dolphins for future picks.

Other NFL stars spotted at Churchill Downs

Aside from the Patriots, other NFL stars were also spotted at Churchill Downs, including Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers and some of his teammates. Also seen was Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay and general manager Les Snead. Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield also attended the gala with his fiancee, Emily Wilkinson. Earlier, Mayfield was pictured with Brady and other Patriots.
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