Tom Brady Thomas Edward Patrick " Tom " Brady , Jr . ( born August 3 , 1977 ) is an American football quarterback for the New England Patriots of the National Football League ( NFL ) . After playing college football for the University of Michigan , Brady was drafted by the Patriots in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft . In Brady ' s ten seasons as a starter , the Patriots have earned trips to the Super Bowl in five of them , winning three . He has also won two Super Bowl MVP awards , has been selected to eight Pro Bowl s , and holds the NFL record for most touchdown pass es in a single regular season . His career postseason record is 17 – 7 ; his playoff win total is the highest in NFL history . He also helped set the record for the longest consecutive win streak in NFL history with 21 straight wins over two seasons ( 2003 – 04 ) , and in 2007 he led the Patriots to the first undefeated regular season since the institution of the 16 - game schedule . Brady has the third highest career passer rating of all time ( 96 . 6 ) among quarterbacks with at least 1 , 500 career passing attempts . In 2012 , Brady became the first quarterback in NFL history to lead his team to 10 division titles . Brady and Joe Montana are the only two players in NFL history to win the NFL Most Valuable Player and Super Bowl MVP awards multiple times . Brady and John Elway are the only two quarterbacks to lead their teams to five Super Bowls . He was also named the NFL MVP in 2007 and 2010 ( becoming the first player to be unanimously chosen as MVP in the 2010 season ) as well as 2007 Male Athlete of the Year by the Associated Press , the first time an NFL player has been so honored since Joe Montana won the award in 1990 . After the 2010 season , Brady was ranked as the best player in the NFL . He and Bill Belichick have also combined to form one of the most successful quarterback - coach tandems in NFL history , winning 125 regular season games and 17 postseason games together , as well as appearing in five Super Bowls together , all NFL records . Early years . Brady was born in San Mateo , California , the son of Galynn Patricia ( née Johnson ) and Thomas Brady , Sr . He has three older sisters . He was raised in a Catholic family of exceptionally gifted athletes , and is of Irish and Prussian - German descent . Brady regularly attended 49ers games in the 1980s , where he became a fan of quarterback Joe Montana ; since then , Brady has mentioned Montana as one of his inspirations and an idol . One of the games Brady attended was the , in which Montana threw The Catch to Dwight Clark , with Brady only being four - years - old at the time . Brady graduated from Junípero Serra High School in San Mateo , California . Brady was also drafted as a catcher in the 18th round of the 1995 MLB Draft by the Montreal Expos . College career . Brady played college football for , and graduated from , the University of Michigan . He played for the Michigan Wolverines football team . He was a backup quarterback for his first two years , while teammate and future NFL quarterback Brian Griese led the 1997 Wolverines to an undefeated season capped by a victory in the Rose Bowl and a share of the national championship . When he enrolled at Michigan , Brady was seventh on the depth chart and had an intense struggle to get some playing time . At one point , Brady hired a sports psychologist to help him cope with frustration and anxiety and even considered transferring to Cal . Brady battled for the starting job with Drew Henson , ultimately starting every game in the 1998 and 1999 seasons under Michigan head coach Lloyd Carr . During his first full year as starter , he set Michigan records for most pass attempts and completions in a season ( 214 ) . Brady was All - Big Ten honorable mention both seasons and team captain his senior year . The Wolverines won 20 of 25 games when he started and shared the Big Ten Conference title in 1998 . Brady capped that season with a win over Arkansas in the Citrus Bowl . In the 1999 season , Brady led Michigan to an overtime win in the Orange Bowl over Alabama , throwing for 369 yards and four touchdowns . Professional career . 2000 season . Brady was selected with pick # 199 , a compensatory pick , in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft . According to Michael Holley ' s book " Patriot Reign " , the Patriots were considering Brady and Tim Rattay , both of whom had received positive reviews from then - quarterbacks coach Dick Rehbein . Ultimately , the Patriots front office chose Brady . Considering his later achievements , many analysts have called Brady the best NFL draft pick of all time . Brady started the season as the fourth string quarterback , behind starter Drew Bledsoe and backups John Friesz and Michael Bishop ; by season ' s end , he was number two on the depth chart behind Bledsoe . During his rookie season , he was 1 - of - 3 passing , for six yards . 2001 season . The Patriots opened the season with a 23 – 17 loss at Cincinnati , with Bledsoe as the starting quarterback . Their second game , and home opener , on September 23 , was against their AFC East rival , the New York Jets . Bledsoe was again the starter , when in the fourth quarter he suffered internal bleeding after a hit from Jets linebacker Mo Lewis . Bledsoe returned for the next series , but was replaced with Brady for the Patriots ' final series of the game . New York would hold on to win , 10 – 3 , and the Patriots fell to 0 – 2 on the season . Brady was named the starter for the season ' s third game , against the Indianapolis Colts . In his first two games as starter , Brady posted unspectacular passer rating s of 79 . 6 and 58 . 7 , respectively , in a 44 – 13 victory over the Colts ( in their last season in the AFC East ) and a 30 – 10 loss to the Miami Dolphins . In the Pats ' fifth game , Brady began to find his stride . Trailing the visiting San Diego Chargers 26 – 16 in the fourth quarter , Brady led the Patriots on two scoring drives to force overtime , and another in overtime to set up a winning field goal . Brady finished the game with 33 pass completions on 54 attempts , for 364 yards , and two touchdowns . The following week , Brady again played well during the rematch at Indianapolis , with a passer rating of 148 . 3 in a 38 – 17 win . The Patriots went on to win 11 of the 14 games Brady started , and six straight to finish the regular season , winning the AFC East and entering the playoffs with a first - round bye . Brady finished with 2 , 843 passing yards and 18 touchdowns and earned an invitation to the Pro Bowl . 2001 postseason . In Brady ' s first playoff game , against the Oakland Raiders , he threw for 312 yards and led the Patriots back from a ten - point fourth - quarter deficit to send the game to overtime , where they won on an Adam Vinatieri field goal . A controversial play in that game came when , trailing by three in the fourth quarter , Brady lost control of the ball after being hit by fellow Wolverine Charles Woodson . Oakland initially recovered the ball , but , citing the " tuck rule , " which states that any forward throwing motion by a quarterback begins a pass even if the quarterback loses possession of the ball as he is attempting to tuck it back toward his body , referee Walt Coleman overturned the call on instant replay , ruling it an incomplete pass rather than a fumble . In the AFC Championship Game against the Pittsburgh Steelers , Brady injured his knee , and was relieved by Bledsoe . The Patriots won the game and were immediately instituted by Las Vegas oddsmakers as 14 - point underdog s against the NFC champion St . Louis Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI . The score was tied with 1 : 21 left in the Super Bowl and the Patriots were at their own 15 — with no timeouts — when sportscaster and Super Bowl - winning coach John Madden said he thought the Patriots should run out the clock and try to win the game in overtime . Instead , Brady drove the Patriots ' offense down the field to the Rams 31 before spiking the ball with seven seconds left . The Patriots won the game on another Adam Vinatieri field goal as time expired . Brady was named MVP of Super Bowl XXXVI while throwing for 145 yards , one touchdown , and no interceptions , becoming the then - youngest quarterback to ever win a Super Bowl . 2002 season . Brady and the Patriots finished the year at 9 – 7 , tied with the New York Jets and Miami Dolphins for the best record in the division ; however , the Jets won the division on the third tiebreaker , and the Patriots missed the playoffs . Although posting a career - low single - season rating of 85 . 7 , Brady threw for a league - leading 28 touchdown passes and 921 more yards than in 2001 , though his fourteen interception s would turn out to be a career high . However , Brady played much of the second half of the season with a shoulder injury , and New England head coach Bill Belichick has since indicated that if the Patriots had made the playoffs , Brady would not have been able to play in the first game due to that injury . 2003 season . In the 2003 NFL season , after a 2 – 2 start , Brady led the Patriots to twelve consecutive victories to finish the season , thus winning the AFC East . Statistically , Brady ' s strongest game of the season was against Buffalo , when he achieved a season - high quarterback rating of 122 . 9 . Brady finished with 3 , 620 passing yards and 23 touchdowns , and was second in NFL MVP voting to co - winners Peyton Manning and Steve McNair . In the first two rounds of the playoffs , the Patriots defeated the Tennessee Titans and Indianapolis Colts . On February 1 , 2004 , Brady led the Patriots to a 32 – 29 victory over the NFC champion Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl XXXVIII and was named Super Bowl MVP for the second time . During the game , Brady threw for 354 yards with three touchdowns and set the record for most completions by a QB in a Super Bowl ( 32 ) . With 1 : 08 left in the fourth quarter and the score tied 29 – 29 , Brady engineered a drive to put the Patriots in position for the game - winning field goal . 2004 season . During the 2004 season , Brady helped the Patriots set an NFL record with 21 straight wins dating from the previous year , an accomplishment honored in the Pro Football Hall of Fame ( though for official records , the NFL considers it an 18 - game regular season winning streak ; it does not count playoff games ) . New England ' s 14 – 2 record equalled that of their 2003 season , as well as tied the best regular - season record ever for a defending champion . The Patriots also won the AFC East divisional title for the third time in four years . Brady threw for 3 , 692 yards and 28 touchdowns , with a 92 . 6 passer rating , and was voted to his second Pro Bowl . In the AFC playoffs , Brady led the Patriots to victories over the Indianapolis Colts and the Pittsburgh Steelers . Brady played his best game of the year in Pittsburgh despite requiring intravenous treatment the previous night when he ran a temperature of 103 degrees . Against the NFL ' s best defensive team , Brady recorded a quarterback passer rating of 130 . 5 , his highest of the season . On February 6 , 2005 , the Brady - led Patriots defeated the Philadelphia Eagles to win Super Bowl XXXIX . Brady threw for 236 yards and two touchdowns while capturing the Patriots ' third championship in four years . 2005 season . During the 2005 season , the Patriots were forced to rely more on Brady ' s passing , due to injuries suffered by running backs Corey Dillon , Patrick Pass , and Kevin Faulk . Brady also had to adjust to a new center and a new running back : Heath Evans . The results were positive ; Brady finished first in the league with 4 , 110 passing yards and third in the league with 26 touchdowns . At 92 . 3 , his 2005 passer rating was the second - highest of his career at the time , although he equalled his career high for interceptions with fourteen . He also rushed for 89 yards and fumbled a career - low four times . Brady and the Patriots finished with a 10 – 6 record , winning their third straight AFC East title . In the playoffs , Brady led the Patriots to a 28 – 3 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars in the wild card round ; however , on January 14 , 2006 , the Patriots lost 27 – 13 to the Denver Broncos at INVESCO Field . Brady threw for 341 yards in the game with one touchdown and two interceptions , in the first playoff loss of his career . After the season ' s end , it was revealed that Brady had been playing with a sports hernia since December . Linebacker Willie McGinest commented on it and said he knew , but Brady continued on playing . 2006 season . Brady led the Patriots to a 12 – 4 record and the fourth seed in the AFC playoffs . In the regular season , Brady threw for 3 , 529 yards and 24 touchdowns . He was not among the players initially selected to the Pro Bowl , although he was offered an injury - replacement selection when Philip Rivers was forced to withdraw ( which he declined ) . In the postseason , the Patriots first hosted their division rivals , the New York Jets , in the wild - card round . The Patriots defeated the Jets 37 – 16 , as Brady went 22 – 34 for 212 yards and two TDs . In the divisional round , the Patriots traveled to San Diego to take on the Chargers . This was Brady ' s first playoff game in his home state of California . Brady and the Patriots struggled against the Chargers , whom many had picked as favorites to win Super Bowl XLI . With eight minutes left in the fourth quarter and the Patriots down by eight points , Brady and the Patriots started a key drive that would ultimately decide the game . After a 49 - yard pass play to Reche Caldwell , a Stephen Gostkowski field goal gave the Patriots a 24 – 21 win . In the AFC championship , the Patriots faced the Indianapolis Colts . The Patriots and Colts had faced each other twice in the previous three postseasons at Foxborough ; this game , however , was played at Indianapolis . The Patriots led at halftime , 21 – 6 ; however , the Colts staged a comeback , resulting in a last minute interception thrown by Brady , and a Patriots loss . 2007 season . Playing with a dramatically overhauled receiver corps — in the 2007 offseason , the Patriots acquired wide receivers Donté Stallworth , Wes Welker , Kelley Washington and Randy Moss ; tight end Kyle Brady ; and running back Sammy Morris — Brady enjoyed what some sports writers have described as the best season ever by a quarterback . The average score of a 2007 Patriots regular season game would be 37 – 17 by the end of the year . Brady not only led the Patriots to a 16 – 0 record , outscoring opponents by more than a 2 - to - 1 margin , but attained numerous career , franchise , and NFL records and milestones . While away at Dallas , he had a career - high five passing touchdowns in a . The win tied him with Roger Staubach for the most wins ever by a starting quarterback in his first 100 regular - season games , with 76 . The next week , in part of a at Miami , he had yet another record day , with six passing touchdowns , setting a franchise record . He also had the first perfect passer rating of his career . Two weeks laters , as part of a come - from - behind at Indianapolis , he threw for another three touchdowns , the ninth consecutive game in which he had done so , breaking Peyton Manning ' s NFL record of eight . During the last game of the year , Brady threw two touchdown passes ; his second touchdown was his 50th , breaking Peyton Manning ' s 2004 record of 49 . For his efforts , Brady was named the Most Valuable Player of this season , as well as Offensive Player of the Year . He was also honored by the Associated Press as their Male Athlete of the Year , the first time an NFL player has been so honored since Joe Montana won the award in 1990 . 2007 playoffs . In the Patriots ' first playoff game , an AFC Divisional game against Jacksonville , Brady began the game with an NFL postseason record sixteen consecutive completed passes , and finished the game with 26 completions in 28 attempts , a completion rate of 92 . 9 % . That mark is the highest single - game completion percentage ( for passers with at least 20 attempts ) in NFL history , regular season or postseason . With the win , the Patriots matched the Dolphins as the only team to win 17 consecutive games in one season . Statistically , Brady did not fare as well in the against the San Diego Chargers , throwing three interceptions ( including his first interception in the red zone since the playoff loss to Denver ) . Nevertheless , the Patriots won their 18th game of the season , 21 – 12 , to advance to the Super Bowl for the fourth time in seven seasons . Brady , with the 100th win of his career , also set an NFL record for the fewest games needed by a starting quarterback to do so : his 100 – 26 record is sixteen games better than Joe Montana ' s . In Super Bowl XLII , Brady was pressured heavily and sacked five times . The Patriots did manage to take the lead with a Brady touchdown to Moss with less than three minutes remaining in the fourth quarter , but the Giants were able to score a last - minute touchdown to upset the Patriots 17 – 14 . 2008 season . Brady did not play in any games during the 2008 preseason or in the 2008 Pro Bowl due to a right foot injury from the previous AFC Championship game . In the Patriots ' against the Kansas City Chiefs at Gillette Stadium , Brady ' s left knee was seriously injured midway through the first quarter on a hit by Chiefs safety Bernard Pollard ; he left the game and did not return . The team later confirmed that Brady would need surgery , and that he had been placed on injured reserve for the remainder of the season . It is believed he tore both his anterior cruciate ligament and his medial collateral ligament . The injury ended Brady ' s streak of 111 consecutive starts ( fourth in the list of most consecutive starts by an NFL quarterback , behind Brett Favre , Peyton Manning , and Ron Jaworski ) . Dr . Neal ElAttrache performed the anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction at the Los Angeles Kerlan - Jobe Orthopaedic Clinic October 6 , using Brady ' s patellar tendon graft to replace the torn ligament , and also repaired his medial collateral ligament , through a separate incision in his left knee . An infection in the wound resulted in further debridement surgery several times since the original procedure . Brady received IV antibiotics for this infection which , at the time , threatened to delay his rehab . 2009 season . In his first game back from injury , Brady threw for 378 yards and two touchdowns in the 2009 season opener against the Buffalo Bills . In the final minutes of the game , the Patriots were down 24 – 13 before Brady and Benjamin Watson connected on two straight touchdowns to lead the Patriots to a 25 – 24 win . Brady was named the AFC Offensive Player of the Week for the 13th time in his career for his performance . On October 18 , 2009 , in an early season snowstorm , Brady set an NFL record against the Tennessee Titans for most touchdowns in a single quarter , throwing five in the second quarter . Brady finished the game with six touchdowns , tying his career best , and 380 yards , completing 29 of 34 attempts , finishing with a nearly perfect passer rating of 152 . 8 . The Patriots ' 59 – 0 victory over the Titans tied the record for the largest margin of victory since the 1970 AFL - NFL merger , and set a record for largest halftime lead in NFL history ( they led 45 – 0 ) . Brady would finish the 2009 regular season with 4 , 398 yards passing and 28 touchdowns for a 96 . 2 rating , despite a broken right ring finger and three fractured ribs , all which were suffered over the course of the season . He was selected as a reserve to the 2010 Pro Bowl and named the 2009 NFL Comeback Player of the Year . Brady ended the 2009 season throwing 3 interceptions in a Wild Card playoff loss to the Baltimore Ravens , 33 – 14 , his first career home playoff loss , and the first playoff loss at home by a New England Patriots quarterback since 1978 . 2010 season . On September 10 , 2010 , Brady signed a four - year , $ 72 million contract extension making him the highest - paid player in the NFL . The extension included $ 48 . 5 million in guaranteed money and will likely keep Brady with the Patriots through the 2014 NFL season . Brady became the quickest to achieve 100 regular season wins by helping his team defeat the Miami Dolphins 41 – 14 on October 4 , 2010 . On November 21 , 2010 , Brady tied Brett Favre ' s record of winning 25 consecutive regular - season home starts , in a 31 – 28 win over the Indianapolis Colts . Brady ' s last regular - season loss at home was on November 12 , 2006 , a 17 – 14 loss to the New York Jets . On December 6 , 2010 , Brady set an NFL record by winning 26 consecutive regular - season home starts , in a 45 – 3 victory over the New York Jets . Brady threw for 3 , 900 yards with 36 touchdowns and just four interceptions on the season . He had an 111 . 0 passer rating , giving him , at the time , two of the top five season ratings in NFL history , and making him the first player to finish with a rating above 110 in two different seasons . Brady was selected as a starter to the 2011 Pro Bowl . However , he pulled out of the game ( and was replaced by former backup Matt Cassel of the Kansas City Chiefs ) after undergoing surgery for a stress fracture in his right foot dating back to 2008 . Brady was also the only unanimous selection for the AP All - Pro Team and was named the 2010 Associated Press NFL Offensive Player of the Year . He also achieved , by unanimous decision , the MVP award for the second time in his career . 2011 season . In Week 1 of the 2011 NFL season , Brady threw for 517 yards and 4 touchdowns , with one interception , against the Miami Dolphins , the second time he had thrown for 400 or more yards in a single game . In the regular season finale against the Buffalo Bills , Brady became the fourth quarterback to throw for 5 , 000 yards in a single season , finishing with 5 , 235 ; it surpassed Dan Marino ' s longstanding record of 5 , 084 passing yards , but finished the season second behind Drew Brees ' 5 , 476 . 2011 postseason . In the Patriots ' 45 – 10 rout of the Denver Broncos in the Divisional round , Brady set a personal postseason best with 363 passing yards , and tied an NFL record shared by Daryle Lamonica and Steve Young , throwing for 6 touchdown passes . The win , his first postseason win since January 2008 , gave Brady and Patriots head coach Bill Belichick sole possession of the NFL record for postseason wins by a QB - coach combo with 15 . In the AFC Championship game against the Baltimore Ravens , Brady failed to throw a touchdown pass for the first time in 36 games , though he did pass for 239 yards and scored a 1 - yard rushing touchdown late in the game . The Patriots were the beneficiaries of a missed field goal from Ravens kicker Billy Cundiff that saw the Brady and Patriots reach their fifth Super Bowl since Brady joined the team . In Super Bowl XLVI , Brady and the Patriots met the New York Giants , meeting in the Championship for the second time in five years . Brady played well , leading a Super Bowl record - tying 96 - yard touchdown drive to close the first half and at one point completing 16 passes in the row for a 20 / 23 mark partway into the third quarter , another Super Bowl record . In all , he recorded two touchdowns , one interception , and was penalized for intentional grounding in the end zone , leading to a crucial safety for the Giants . A final score of 21 – 17 for the Giants would keep Brady from winning his fourth Super Bowl . 2012 season . Brady started all 16 regular season games of the 2012 NFL season and led the Patriots to a 12 - 4 record . The Patriot scored 557 total points , the third highest in league history and Brady became the first quarterback to lead his team to 10 division titles . With that point total , the Patriots became the first team to score at least 500 points in a season four different times , with Brady leading all four squads ( another record ) . He finished the season with 4 , 827 passing yards , 34 touchdowns , only 8 interceptions , and a passer rating of 98 . 7 . Brady also started both Patriots play - off games , winning against the Houston Texans . With the victory , Brady surpassed Joe Montana for most career playoff wins , with 17 . The Patriots were then upset by the Baltimore 28 - 13 in the AFC championship . On February 25 , 2013 , Brady and the Patriots agreed on a three - year contract extension , which will keep him with the team through 2017 . Peter King called it an " amazing " deal , as Brady took just $ 27 million in new money over the 2015 , 2016 , and 2017 seasons , and also noted that it reflected Patriots owner Robert Kraft ' s desire to make sure Brady retired a Patriot . Statistics . Regular season . † Statistics updated to the end of the 2012 regular season . ‡ Career totals including 2012 season . Personal life . Brady dated actress Bridget Moynahan from 2004 until late 2006 . On February 18 , 2007 , Moynahan confirmed to " People " magazine that she was more than three months pregnant with her and Brady ' s child . Brady and Moynahan ended their relationship sometime in early December 2006 , around the time Moynahan became pregnant . Though not in the delivery room when their son , John Edward Thomas Moynahan , was born in August 2007 at Saint John ' s Health Center in Santa Monica , California , Brady was present the day of the birth . John ' s middle names are Brady ' s own first and middle names in reverse order , while Moynahan ' s father ' s first name is Edward . Brady began dating Brazilian supermodel Gisele Bündchen in December 2006 . Tom revealed to Details Magazine in 2009 , that he and Gisele were first set up on a blind date by a mutual friend . Brady and Bündchen married on February 26 , 2009 in an intimate Catholic ceremony in Santa Monica . Together , the couple have two children : son Benjamin Rein Brady ( born December 2009 ) , whose middle name is a shortened version of Bündchen ' s father ' s name Reinoldo ; and daughter Vivian Lake Brady ( born December 2012 ) . The family moved to a $ 20 million mansion in the Brentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles in January 2012 . Brady has also been featured as a guest star on some popular television programs , hosting Saturday Night Live in 2005 and appearing on " The Simpsons " in 2005 and " Family Guy " in 2006 , with both episodes ( " Homer and Ned ' s Hail Mary Pass and " Patriot Games " ) being football themed and broadcast within a week of that year ' s Super Bowl .