NFL: The 10 Greatest Players in New England Patriots History

The New England Patriots are the most successful NFL team since the turn of the century. They have won 5 Super Bowl championships since their first one back in 2001, as well as 10 AFC Conference Championships. Their 10 Super Bowl appearances are the most by any team in the history of the NFL. 8 of these appearances have been under the tutelage of possibly the best coach in history, Bill Belichick.

Patriots fans have been blessed with some great playoff runs in recent years, as well as seeing some of the best players to play the game, play in their side every week. From Linebackers, Kickers and Tight Ends, here are my Top 10 players who have put on the navy blue jersey of the Patriots.

#10 Drew Bledsoe

Bledsoe played 14 seasons in the NFL, with 9 of them in New England. He was selected by the Patriots with the 1st overall pick in the 1993 draft and went on to play in 13 games in his rookie year. He ended the Patriots run of 7 years without making the Playoffs, and by 1998 he had got them to the Playoffs 4 times in 6 seasons.

Bledsoe was voted to 4 Pro-Bowls, including in 1994, where he led the NFL in passing yards. His career in New England was cut short when he suffered a hit that caused his abdomen to slowly fill with blood. The horrifying injury caused Bledsoe to miss time and gave his back-up, Tom Brady, the chance to establish himself as the Patriots starting QB. Bledsoe then went on to play for the Bills, where he made it to another Pro-Bowl, before finishing his career with the Cowboys.

Bledsoe finished his career with 44,611 passing yards, 251 touchdowns and a place in the Patriots Hall of Fame. The New England Patriots are the most successful NFL team since the turn of the century. They have won 5 Super Bowl championships since their first in 2001, as well as 10 AFC Conference Championships. Their 10 Super Bowl appearances are the most by any team in the history of the NFL. 8 of these appearances have been under the tutelage of possibly the best coach in history, Bill Belichick.

#9 Tedy Bruschi

Tedy Bruschi played his entire NFL career with the New England Patriots after being drafted in the third round of the 1996 draft. He went on to play 189 games for the Patriots at the Linebacker position. In that time he recorded 1,110 tackles, 30.5 sacks, 12 interceptions and 11 forced fumbles. In early 2005, Bruschi suffered a stroke which threatened his NFL career.

Amazingly, he returned to the field in the October of that year and was voted the 2005 Comeback Player of the Year. During his career, Bruschi recorded 4 consecutive interceptions that were returned for touchdowns, which was a record at the time.

He was a defensive leader for the Patriots, being named a defensive captain after his comeback from illness. Bruschi is a 3 time Super Bowl champion, a two time All-Pro and was also inducted in the Patriots Hall of Fame.

#8 Rob Gronkowski

Rob Gronkowski is currently forging a Hall of Fame worthy career. He was drafted by the Patriots in the second round of the 2010 draft. Gronk is a matchup nightmare for covering defenders. At 6’6 he is too big for Cornerbacks to cover. He is also too quick for most Line Backers to keep up with. Gronkowski has had the luxury of playing his whole career with one of the best Quarterbacks to grace the league.

He is Brady’s ‘go to’ option in a high powered offense. Gronkowski has played 8 seasons in the NFL, amassing 474 catches, 7,179 yards and 76 touchdowns. His best receiving season was in 2011, where he totaled 90 receptions, 1327 yards and 17 TDs, all of which are career highs.

Despite only playing 8 seasons, Gronkowski holds a lot of records at the Tight End position. His 17 TDs in 2011 is the most recorded by a Tight End in a single season. He is the youngest player to record 3 touchdowns in a single game in both the regular season and the playoffs. He also has the joint most 1000+ receiving yard seasons by a Tight End, tied with Tony Gonzalez and Jason Witten. He is a 2 time Super Bowl champion, 5 time First Team All-Pro and has been voted to 5 Pro Bowl teams.

If Gronkowski goes on to secure another contract and stops flirting with retirement, he will likely go down as the best Tight End of all time.

#7 Ty Law

Ty Law played Cornerback for the Patriots between the years of 1995 and 2004. He was drafted in the 1st round with the 23rd overall pick. Law went on to play 14 games in his debut season, recording 3 interceptions along the way. In his 7th season, Law helped the Patriots win the Super Bowl with a 47 yard pick 6 to give the Patriots the lead.

Law would go on to win 3 Super Bowl rings as well as a spot in the Patriots Hall of Fame. After leaving the Pats, Law would have stints with the Jets, Chiefs and Broncos. During his career, Law totalled 838 tackles, 53 interceptions and 7 TDs. He is a 2 time First Team All-Pro and was voted to 5 Pro-Bowls. Law retired in 2010 and is widely regarded as one of the best Cornerbacks to play in the league.

#6 Andre Tippett

Andre Tippett played Line Backer for the Patriots for his whole career, after being drafted in the second round of the 1982 draft. Tippett played 12 seasons with the Pats, sacking the opposing Quarterback 100 times in that period. In his best season, in 1984, Tippett recorded 18.5 sacks which ended in him receiving Pro Bowl honors. He led the team in sacks six times, whilst finishing second another 4 times.

He was a pivotal part of the Patriots pass rush and was voted the NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 1985. Tippett was also voted into the NFL 1980s All-Decade team as well as being entered into the Patriots Hall of Fame in 1999. Tippett’s stat of 100 sacks in 151 games at 0.662 sacks per game, ranks 4th in NFL history among all Linebackers. In 2008 he was voted entered into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

#5 Mike Haynes

Mike Haynes was a Cornerback for the Patriots between the years of 1976 and 1982. A first round pick out of Arizona State, Haynes had exceptional speed which helped when covering opposing star receivers. His speed also helped him become a premier punt returner.

In his rookie year, Haynes recorded an incredible 8 interceptions and 2 touchdowns on punt returns. His play earned him the honor of NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year. He went on to record 46 interceptions throughout his career in the NFL, which includes a stint in Los Angeles with the Raiders. He won a Super Bowl ring with the Raiders, recording an interception in that game.

Haynes made it to 9 Pro Bowls and was an All-Pro 8 times. The Patriots retired his number 40 jersey and also entered him into their Hall of Fame. He was also inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1997. He will go down as one of the best Cornerbacks in the history of the league.

#4 John Hannah

John Hannah is one of the best Offensive Lineman in NFL History. He played for the Patriots between the years of 1973 and 1985, after being drafted in the 1st round of the 1973 draft. Hannah was voted to 9 Pro-Bowls, as well as 10 consecutive years as a First Team All-Pro. He played his whole career for the Patriots and was the first inductee into the Patriots Hall of Fame.

Whilst Hannah wasn’t the biggest Guard, at 6’2, he excelled because of his strength and deceptive quickness at the line. He was superb in pass protection, as well as creating big lanes in the running game. One of his best seasons came in 1978, where Hannah, along with his teammates, set a record by totaling 3165 yards on the ground.

Hannah was named to two All-Decade teams, in the 70’s and 80’s. His continued brilliance over 13 seasons has him rated as one of the best Guards to play in the NFL.

#3 Randy Moss

Moss makes it on to this list despite playing just 4 of his 14 seasons in New England. Three of those 4 seasons were highly productive. In his debut season with The Pats, Moss recorded 23 TD catches after striking up an almost telepathic relationship with Tom Brady. This is a record that still stands today. He would follow that display with seasons of 11 and 13 touchdowns respectively.

Moss holds a number of other records in the NFL for a Wide Receiver. He scored the most TDs in a rookie year with 17, as well as the most seasons with 16 or more touchdown receptions (3). He is the youngest player in history to record 100 receiving touchdowns, as well as the fastest player to reach 500 receiving yards.

Moss finished his career with 157 TDs which is 2nd most all time. He comes in at 10th on the all-time list with 954 receptions and is 6th all time with 15,292 receiving yards.

Moss is one of the best Wide Receivers of all time. You can see where he ranked I my ‘Top Wide Receivers of All-Time’ article here.

#2 Adam Vinatieri

New England Patriots Adam Vinatieri, 2002 AFC Playoffs

Adam Vinatieri is the oldest active player in the NFL. The 45-year-old is currently kicking field goals for the Colts, but Vinatieri spent the first 10 seasons of his career in New England. ‘Mr Clutch’ is a 4 time Super Bowl champion, 2 of which he won with game-winning field goals. Vinatieri has attempted an astonishing 663 field goals, converting 559 of them at an 84.3% success rate. His superb form over his whole career had him ranked in the NFL’s Top 100 players in 2016, making him the first Kicker to make it on to the list.

He has been voted to 3 Pro Bowls as well as earning 3 First Team All-Pro honors. He was voted into the NFL 2000s All-Decade Team.

Vinatieri holds over 13 records in the NFL including:

· The most seasons with 100+ points (20)

· The most career postseason points

· Most consecutive field goals made (44)

Vinatieri signed a new 1 year deal with the Colts this offseason, meaning he will be 46 before the season ends. Who knows when this kicking machine will hang up his cleats?

#1 Tom Brady

Tom Brady is possibly the best player to ever play the game, let alone the best player to play for the Patriots. Brady has led the Pats to 5 Super Bowls victories, which is a record for an offensive player.

Brady has played his whole career for the Patriots, after being drafted by them in the 6th round with the 199th pick of the 2000 draft. After a rookie season in which he barely got on the field, Brady was called into action when starting Quarterback, Drew Bledsoe went down with an injury.

He went on to lead the Patriots to the Divisional title and a Super Bowl showdown against the Rams. Brady would earn his first Super Bowl MVP award as well as his first Super Bowl ring. He would go on to lead the Pats to victory in 2003, 04, 14 and 2016, earning another 3 Super Bowl MVP awards along the way.

During his 18 seasons in the league, Brady has been voted to the Pro-Bowl 13 times and has received First Team All-Pro honors 3 times. The awards continue as he is a two time NFL Offensive Player of the Year, the 2007 Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year, the 2005 Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year as well as being voted the Comeback Player of the Year in 2009. He has also led the league in passing yards 3 times, as well as recording the highest QB passer rating twice.

He is a 4 time league TD leader, including what was probably his best ever season, where he led the Patriots to a 16-0 record, throwing a record 50 TDs in the process. He also holds the record for most wins by a QB with 196, as well as another 36 records that currently stand.

Over his career, Brady has recorded 66,159 passing yards, 488 touchdowns and a passer rating of 97.6. At the age of 40, Brady says he will continue to play for at least a couple of years. His passer rating has been above 102 the last 3 seasons, showing he certainly isn’t slowing down. Brady will go down as the best player to ever play the game.

Edited by Kishan Prasad