# 2000 New England Patriots season

The 2000 season was the New England Patriots' 31st in the National Football League (NFL) and their 41st overall. They finished with a 5–11 record and in last place in the division. It would be the first season the franchise would have involving quarterback Tom Brady. He would play 20 seasons as a Patriot, a franchise record. However, he wasn't given the starting job until next season. This was Tom Brady's only season on a team with a losing record until 2022, and the only time that his team lost twice to the same AFC East team during the regular season.
Following the firing of three-year head coach Pete Carroll in January, Patriots owner Bob Kraft pursued Jets assistant head coach Bill Belichick for the Patriots' head coaching vacancy. Belichick, who had been an assistant coach under Bill Parcells with the Patriots in 1996, followed Parcells to the Jets after that season and was contractually named Parcells' successor. A day after the 1999 season, Parcells resigned as head coach of the Jets and made his second retirement from NFL coaching. Belichick, who had been assistant head coach of the Jets, became the Jets' next head coach. The following day, at a press conference for his hiring, Belichick wrote a resignation note on a sheet of loose-leaf paper ("I resign as HC of the NYJ."), and proceeded to give a half-hour resignation speech to the press. Despite rumors that he had been offered the Patriots' vacant head coaching position, Belichick cited the Jets' uncertain ownership situation following the death of owner Leon Hess earlier that year as the reason for his resignation. The Jets denied Belichick permission to speak with other teams, and as had happened in 1997 with Parcells, the NFL upheld Belichick's contractual obligations to the Jets. Belichick then filed an antitrust lawsuit against the NFL in federal court. After, Parcells and Kraft, talking for the first time since Parcells' resignation from the Patriots, agreed to settle their differences, the Patriots and Jets agreed to a compensation package to allow Belichick to become the Patriots' head coach. With the deal, the Patriots sent their first-round pick in the 2000 NFL draft and fourth and seventh-round picks in the 2001 NFL draft to the Jets, while also receiving the Jets' fifth-round selection in 2001 and seventh-round pick in the 2002 NFL draft.
Belichick restructured the team's personnel department in the offseason, and later proclaimed that the team "could not win with 40 good players while the other team has 53," after a number of players showed up out of shape for the start of training camp. The Patriots went on to finish the season 5–11, finishing last in the AFC East and missing the playoffs for the second straight season.
The 2000 season opener vs the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, a 21-16 loss for the Patriots, would be the first game of third-string rookie Tom Brady's exalted 23-year career with the Patriots (2000-2020) and Buccaneers (2021-2023). Their first year in New England would be the only season from 1996 to 2019 where the Patriots finished with a losing record. Brady would retire in 2023, which would also mark Belichick's last season with the Patriots after leading New England to a cumulative 266–121–0 regular season record, 30–12 playoffs record, 17 division titles, 9 AFC conference championships and a record 6 Super Bowl victories as head coach (and record 8 total Super Bowl victories, including assistant coaching experience with the Giants.)

## Offseason After 1999 Season

On January 27, 2000, the Patriots hired Bill Belichick as their next head coach of team.
| Additions | Subtractions |
| TE Eric Bjornson (Cowboys) | WR Shawn Jefferson (Falcons) |
| LB Chad Cascadden (Jets) | RB Terry Allen (Saints) |
| C Lance Scott (Giants) | DT Chris Sullivan (Steelers) |
| T Grant Williams (Seahawks) | TE Ben Coates (Ravens) |
| CB Antonio Langham (Browns) | TE Mike Bartrum (Eagles) |
| DE Bobby Hamilton (Jets) | LB Marty Moore (Browns) |
| CB Otis Smith (Jets) | G Heath Irwin (Dolphins) |
| WR Chris Calloway (Falcons) | T Ed Ellis (Redskins) |
| WR Aaron Bailey (Raiders) | CB Steve Israel (Saints) |

### 2000 NFL draft

2000 New England Patriots draft :
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College |
| 2 | 46 | Adrian Klemm | Offensive tackle | Hawaii |
| 3 | 76 | J. R. Redmond | Running back | Arizona State |
| 4 | 127 | Greg Robinson-Randall | Offensive tackle | Michigan State |
| 5 | 141 | Dave Stachelski | Tight end | Boise State |
| 5 | 161 | Jeff Marriott | Defensive tackle | Missouri |
| 6 | 187 | Antwan Harris | Safety | Virginia |
| 6 | 199 | Tom Brady * | Quarterback | Michigan |
| 6 | 201 | David Nugent | Defensive end | Purdue |
| 7 | 226 | Casey Tisdale | Linebacker | New Mexico |
| 7 | 239 | Patrick Pass | Fullback | Georgia |
| Made roster * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career ||||||

### Undrafted free agents

2000 undrafted free agents of note :
| Player | Position | College |
| Maurice Anderson | Defensive tackle | Virginia |
| Terrance Beadles | Guard | Arkansas–Pine Bluff |
| Matt Bumgardner | Wide receiver | Texas A&M |
| Adam Davis | Guard | Oklahoma State |
| Shockmain Davis | Wide receiver | Angelo State |
| Chris Eitzmann | Tight end | Harvard |
| John Eskridge | Linebacker | Southwest Missouri State |
| Rob Gatrell | Guard | Fresno State |
| Reggie Grimes | Defensive end | Alabama |
| Chad Holleman | Kicker | Georgia |
| Jimmy Kibble | Punter | Virginia Tech |
| Lonie Paxton | Long snapper | Sacramento State |
| Scott Pospisil | Defensive end | Iowa |
| Rodney Rideau | Safety | Oklahoma |
| Thad Sheldon | Long snapper | Iowa |
| Jamel Smith | Linebacker | Virginia Tech |
| Maugaula Tuitele | Linebacker | Colorado State |
| Ryan Tujague | Tackle | Washington State |
| Martinez Williams | Wide receiver | New Mexico |
| Mike Woods | Cornerback | Oklahoma |

## Opening training camp roster

As of the Patriots' first training camp practice at Foxboro Stadium on July 17 (practices at Bryant College started on July 23), they had the NFL maximum of 80 players signed to their roster. The Patriots received four roster exemptions for the NFL Europe allocations of Garrett Johnson, Marc Megna, Sean Morey, and Noel Scarlett. Additionally, the Patriots allocated tackle Ed Ellis to NFL Europe and received a roster exemption for him, but he was released before the start of training camp.

## Schedule
### Preseason

| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Recap |
| HOF | July 31 | vs. San Francisco 49ers | W 20–0 | 1–0 | Fawcett Stadium (Canton, Ohio) | Recap |
| 1 | August 4 | at Detroit Lions | W 13–10 | 2–0 | Pontiac Silverdome | Recap |
| 2 | August 11 | at Washington Redskins | L 20–30 | 2–1 | FedExField | Recap |
| 3 | August 20 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | L 21–31 | 2–2 | Foxboro Stadium | Recap |
| 4 | August 24 | Carolina Panthers | W 29–21 | 3–2 | Foxboro Stadium | Recap |

### Regular season

| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Recap |
| 1 | September 3 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | L 16–21 | 0–1 | Foxboro Stadium | Recap |
| 2 | September 11 | at New York Jets | L 19–20 | 0–2 | Giants Stadium | Recap |
| 3 | September 17 | Minnesota Vikings | L 13–21 | 0–3 | Foxboro Stadium | Recap |
| 4 | September 24 | at Miami Dolphins | L 3–10 | 0–4 | Pro Player Stadium | Recap |
| 5 | October 1 | at Denver Broncos | W 28–19 | 1–4 | Mile High Stadium | Recap |
| 6 | October 8 | Indianapolis Colts | W 24–16 | 2–4 | Foxboro Stadium | Recap |
| 7 | October 15 | New York Jets | L 17–34 | 2–5 | Foxboro Stadium | Recap |
| 8 | October 22 | at Indianapolis Colts | L 23–30 | 2–6 | RCA Dome | Recap |
| 9 | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye |
| 10 | November 5 | Buffalo Bills | L 13–16 (OT) | 2–7 | Foxboro Stadium | Recap |
| 11 | November 12 | at Cleveland Browns | L 11–19 | 2–8 | Cleveland Browns Stadium | Recap |
| 12 | November 19 | Cincinnati Bengals | W 16–13 | 3–8 | Foxboro Stadium | Recap |
| 13 | November 23 | at Detroit Lions | L 9–34 | 3–9 | Pontiac Silverdome | Recap |
| 14 | December 4 | Kansas City Chiefs | W 30–24 | 4–9 | Foxboro Stadium | Recap |
| 15 | December 10 | at Chicago Bears | L 17–24 | 4–10 | Soldier Field | Recap |
| 16 | December 17 | at Buffalo Bills | W 13–10 (OT) | 5–10 | Ralph Wilson Stadium | Recap |
| 17 | December 24 | Miami Dolphins | L 24–27 | 5–11 | Foxboro Stadium | Recap |

### Standings

AFC East :
| viewtalkedit | W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA | STK |
| $^{(3)}$ Miami Dolphins | 11 | 5 | 0 | .688 | 323 | 226 | W1 |
| $^{(6)}$ Indianapolis Colts | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 429 | 326 | W3 |
| New York Jets | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 321 | 321 | L3 |
| Buffalo Bills | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 315 | 350 | W1 |
| New England Patriots | 5 | 11 | 0 | .313 | 276 | 338 | L1 |