April 16 is a special day in the life of Tom Brady.
It was on this day in 2000 that he finally heard his name called during the sixth round of the NFL Draft. Brady was hoping to be drafted much earlier, but after six quarterbacks and 198 players were taken before him, the New England Patriots gave him a chance at pick No. 199.
Fast forward more than two decades and Brady is widely considered the greatest player in pro football history thanks to seven Super Bowl championships and many, many NFL records.
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Perry: Belichick explains what it would take for Patriots to 'overdraft' a QB
Brady reacted to the 21st anniversary of his pro career beginning by cracking a witty joke on Twitter.
Well played, Tom.
Brady won Super Bowl LV last year, his first season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after leaving the Patriots in free agency in March of 2020. His next challenge will be trying to lead Tampa Bay to back-to-back championships -- a feat no franchise has accomplished since Brady's Patriots teams in 2003 and 2004.
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It's astounding that Brady has not only played 21 years, but that he's played at a high level the entire time. He will be 44 years old when Week 1 of the regular season arrives, but he shows few signs of slowing down. Who knows, maybe Brady's career will be celebrating a 25th anniversary at some point.