- Tom Brady’s 74,571 passing yards with the Patriots is more than all of the yards thrown by Drew Bledsoe, Steve Grogan, and Babe Parilli combined.
- Rob Gronkowski holds the record for most touchdowns in a single season by a tight end with 18.
- The Patriots won six Super Bowls from 2001 to 2018, including three between 2001 and 2004.
When you think of success in the NFL, the New England Patriots are the first team that should come to mind. They’ve been the epitome of success since the turn of the century.
Fans of the team and those who wager on NFL spreads when they bet online found themselves able to do just that when Super Bowl LIII occurred. This was the first Super Bowl since the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act was overturned in the United States in May 2018, allowing for more widespread online sports wagering.
If you look at the football odds from all of the Super Bowls the Patriots were in since 2000, they were underdogs just once. They were 14-point underdogs to the St. Louis Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI and beat them outright to begin their dynastic run.
While most of us can agree that Brady is the greatest Patriot of all time, there are eight others I want to pay homage to.
Check my list of the top nine Patriots of all time below.
9 Best New England Patriots of All Time, Ranked
| Rank | Player | Position | Patriots Years |
| 1 | Tom Brady | QB | 2000-2019 |
| 2 | Rob Gronkowski | TE | 2010-2018 |
| 3 | John Hannah | OG | 1973-1985 |
| 4 | Andre Tippett | EDGE | 1982-1993 |
| 5 | Tedy Bruschi | LB | 1996-2008 |
| 6 | Ty Law | CB | 1995-2004 |
| 7 | Willie McGinest | LB/DL | 1994-2005 |
| 8 | Adam Vinatieri | K | 1996-2005 |
| 9 | Julian Edelman | WR | 2009-2020 |
1. Tom Brady
How do I even begin to describe Brady’s greatness? To me, he’s not only the greatest Patriots player of all time but the best player to ever play in the NFL.
He played for the Patriots from 2000 to 2019 and completed 6,377 passes on 9,988 attempts for 74,571 yards, 541 touchdown passes and just 179 interceptions.
Bready played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 2020 to 2022, but when he retired, he finished with these NFL records:
- 251 QB wins.
- 7,753 completions
- 12,050 attempts.
- 649 passing touchdowns
- 89,214 passing yards
- 35 playoff wins
- 13,400 postseason passing yards
- 88 postseason passing touchdowns.
With the Patriots, Brady won Super Bowls XXXVI, XXXVIII, XXXIX, XLIX, LI, and LIII. He was the MVP in four of those.
Tom Brady's BEST plays from the 2018 regular season! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/fdll06abiz
— NFL (@NFL) January 28, 2019
Brady also won three NFL MVP awards, two Offensive Player of the Year awards, and was the NFL Comeback Player of the Year in 2009 after tearing his ACL in Week 1 of 2008. He was a three-time first-team All-Pro and two-time second-team All-Pro, went to 14 Pro Bowls, and led the league in passing touchdowns four times, passing yards three times, passer rating twice, and completion percentage once.
The accolades are seemingly never-ending with Brady.
He’s the GOAT, and it’s not even close.
2. Rob Gronkowski
Gronkowski played for the Patriots for less than 10 years (2010 to 2018), but to me, he’s the greatest tight end in NFL history.
In his time with the Patriots, he won three Super Bowls, a Comeback Player of the Year award, was four-time first-team All-PRo, went to five Pro Bowls and led the NFL in receiving touchdowns in 2011.
He holds the NFL record for most touchdowns in a season by a tight end with 18.
He finished his Patriots career with 794 targets (fourth), 521 receptions (fifth), 7,861 yards (second), and 79 touchdowns (first).
From 2010 to 2015, he had double-digit touchdowns in all but one season (2013), as he played in just seven games.
3. John Hannah
Before the Patriots as we know them in the 21st century, this team had very little success. The Patriots made it to two Super Bowls and lost both of them.
However, players like John Hannah, even as an offensive tackle, did their best to give them a chance to win.
Like Brady being the best player/quarterback or Gronkowski being the best tight end, I might argue that Hannah is one of the best offensive linemen to ever play in the NFL.
He played for the Patriots from 1973 to 1985, was seven-time first-team All-Pro and three-time second-team All-Pro, went to nine Pro Bowls, and was part of the NFL’s 1970s, 1980s, 75th Anniversary, and 100th Anniversary teams.
He’s in the Patriots Hall of Fame, they retired his No. 73, and he’s enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
4. Andre Tippett
Coming off the edge, Tippett is the only Patriots player with 100 sacks or more. He holds the franchise record with 100. The next closest is Julius Adams with 80.5.
He also had 19 fumble recoveries, one interception, and returned two fumbles for a touchdown.
Tippett was the co-Defensive Player of the Year in 1985, was a two-time first-team All-Pro, a two-time second-year All-Pro, and went to five Pro Bowls.
He’s enshrined in the Patriots and Pro Football Hall of Fame today.
5. Tedy Bruschi
Winning Comeback Player of the Year in 2005 after suffering a stroke, Bruschi was a massive part of the Patriots’ early Super Bowl success.
He won three Super Bowls with the team, was two-time second-team All-Pro, and went to the Pro Bowl in 2004.
He finished his Patriots career with 680 solo tackles (three), 394 assists (first), 45 tackles (five) for loss, 30.5 sacks (14th), seven fumble recoveries, 12 interceptions, and four pick-sixes (second).
6. Ty Law
Playing 141 games with the Patriots, Law finished his time with them with 36 interceptions (tied for first), six pick sixes (first), four fumble recoveries, 537 solo tackles (tied for fourth), 101 assists, and 12 tackles for loss.
He won three Super Bowls with the Patriots, was a two-time first-team All-Pro, went to five Pro Bowls, led the league in interceptions once (he also led in 2005 with the New York Jets), and he’s enshrined in the Patriots and Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Law was instrumental in sending the Patriots to the Super Bowl against Carolina after intercepting then-Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning three times in the AFC championship. In the Patriots’ first Super Bowl win against the Rams, Law had an interception and returned it 47 yards for a touchdown. They beat the Rams 20-17.
7. Willie McGinest
Winning three Super Bowls with the Patriots, McGinest also went to two Pro Bowls and was part of the PFWA All-Rookie Team.
He holds NFL records for most postseason sacks (16) and sacks in a single postseason game (4.5). His 4.5 sack game came in the 2005-06 postseason against Jacksonville.
In Super Bowl appearances, McGinest had three sacks.
He finished his career with the Patriots with four interceptions, two pick-sixes, and 78 sacks. The 78 sacks are the third most in Patriots history. He’s 2.5 behind Julius Adams, but McGinest played in 35 fewer games.
8. Adam Vinatieri
There was no way I was leaving this list without including Vinatieri. He won three Super Bowls with the Patriots, was two-time first-team All-Pro, and went to two Pro Bowls.
His name will forever be etched in Patriots history thanks to legendary kicks, including the following:
- His 45-yard field goal in a blizzard against the Oakland Raiders in the 2001 AFC divisional round would become infamous as the “Tuck Rule” game.
- His 41-yard field goal with four seconds to go in Super Bowl XXXVIII to beat the Panthers.
- A 46-yard field goal with about four minutes to go against the Tennessee Titans in the 2004 AFC divisional round to win 17-14.
- Kicked two field goals in Super Bowl XXXIX. The Patriots beat the Eagles 24-21 in that game.
9. Julian Edelman
A three-time Super Bowl champion with the Patriots (XLIX, LI, and LIII), Edelman was the MVP of LIII after catching 10 passes for 141 yards. In a game the Patriots won just 13-3, Edelman’s production was needed to advance the ball and give them chances at scoring.
He finished his career with 941 targets (first), 620 receptions (second) for 6,822 yards (fourth), and 36 touchdowns (ninth).