Tom Brady finished his NFL career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but his importance to the New England Patriots can not be overstated.
Patriots owner Robert Kraft made that clear during a conversation with NBC10 Boston’s Malcolm Johnson on Tuesday.
“He is a Patriot from start to finish. We’re going to have him back here and celebrate his 20 years with the Patriots, and hopefully we’ll have occasions to do it every year, different reasons,” Kraft said of Brady. “It’s over 20 years since the first Super Bowl…He’s a very special person, and been like, I’d like to say a brother to me, but really a son. He’s pretty special.”
Asked if the feting of Brady could include a special celebration or one-day contract to retire as a Pat, Kraft responded “All of the above.”
Originally a sixth-round pick of the Patriots out of Michigan in 2000, Brady stepped into the starting lineup in Week 3 of the 2001 season after Drew Bledsoe suffered a serious injury the week prior.
The rest, as they say, is history.