Even if you don't consider yourself a connoisseur of sports — let alone being well-acquainted with the extraordinary hub that is Boston sports — chances are, you know who Tom Brady is.
Perhaps, if you exist mostly outside the realm of sports, you know him primarily for being married to Brazilian supermodel Gisele Bündchen. There's also Brady's infamous 2017 health and wellness book, "The TB12 Method," which details his restrictive diet in great detail, and which nutritionists and food scientists largely called bogus for its claims that they say lack scientific evidence. There are also reports of Brady being extremely handsome, which, we've heard, helps with fame.
From whichever lens you might view Brady, however, the 42-year-old quarterback's reputation as one of the greatest football players of all time supersedes all else. Ahead of the New England Patriots' opening regular season game on Sunday, we illustrated five of the aspects of Brady's career that make him so impressive.
The Highest-Grossing Films Throughout Brady's Career
One of Brady's most impressive feats is maintaining a 19-year-long career as a player in the NFL, far longer than the average player. To illustrate just how long of a span that is, we looked at the highest-grossing films for each year of Brady's career — from 2000 to 2018. Data from 2019, of course, won't be available until the end of this year.
Source: Box Office Mojo
Super Bowl Appearances
The other thing people usually mention when Brady's name comes up? How many times he's been to the Super Bowl. Brady has played in nine Super Bowls with the Patriots between 2001 and 2018, which means he's been on the team for all but two of its total 11 appearances.
The Broncos, Cowboys and Steelers are tied in second place with eight appearances each — still one less than how many championship games Brady has seen on his own.
Other Greats
But enough about appearances — as many a fan would be quick to point out, Brady has also won more Super Bowl rings than any other player in NFL history. To put this in perspective, we took a look at the players in other sports who wear the championship crown in their own leagues.
Yards Passed As Prudential Towers
The QB has proven that he's more than useful in a championship game, but his yards passed per season are staggering, as well. To put it in perspective, we took Brady's yards passed for the last 10 years of his career and measured how many of Boston's Prudential Towers would be equivalent to that length. Keep in mind: One Prudential Tower is 250 yards tall.
Estimated Pay
While Brady admits he is not the highest-paid quarterback in the NFL, his paycheck over the last 19 years remains impressive. He earned $19.75 million in 2011 — the highest in his career — and made $15 million last year.
Source: Spotrac
