With 21 seasons under his belt, Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady owns various records in the NFL, including the only player with seven Super Bowl rings. The 43-year-old Brady would have a chance to clinch one more record and join an elite list of quarterbacks in the upcoming season when he takes on his former team, the New England Patriots. Based on the NFL schedule, Brady would return to Gillette Stadium wearing a different uniform when the Buccaneers take on the Patriots regularly. The NFL, however, has yet to release the exact date of the showdown.
If Brady defeats his former team, he will become the fourth quarterback in NFL history to beat all 32 teams, joining Drew Brees, Brett Favre, and Peyton Manning, per Luke Easterling of USA Today.
Brady played for the Patriots for 20 seasons, winning six Super Bowl rings since he was drafted 199th overall in the 2000 NFL Draft. Last season, he signed a two-year deal worth $50 million with the Buccaneers and led Tampa Bay to its first Super Bowl title since 2002. Recently, Brady signed a four-year contract extension that is basically a one-year deal that would allow him to fulfill his dream of playing until he’s 45 years old.
Brady pens a sweet message for dad’s birthday
On his Instagram story on Thursday, Brady posted a sweet message for his father, Tom Brady Sr.
The latter celebrates his 77th birthday. Brady shared a photo of himself and his father with the caption “Happy Birthday Dad!!! Love you so much and can’t wait to see you next week” with three heart emojis. The elder Brady is very supportive of his son’s football career, and he wanted him to join the San Francisco 49ers to follow the footsteps of football great Joe Montana.
However, the 49ers did not take Brady in 2000 and instead picked Giovanni Carmazzi in the third round. The Patriots took Brady in the sixth round, and the rest was history. Carmazzi, for his part, never played a regular-season game for the 49ers and was released after just two seasons.
Buccaneers make coaching staff moves
According to Carmen Vitali of Buccaneers.com, the Buccaneers made some coaching staff moves as they elevated Thaddeus Lewis to assistant wide receivers coach and hired former center AQ Shipley offensive assistant for the 2021 season.
Lewis joined the Buccaneers last season as an assistant to the offense, while Shipley abruptly retired last season after suffering a season-ending neck injury. Shipley joined the Buccaneers as a reserve last season after a five-year stint as starting center for the Arizona Cardinals. However, he suffered a neck injury against the Los Angeles Rams. After that, head coach Bruce Arians gave Shipley a chance to act as one of the coaches until the end of the season.
