Tom Brady becomes NFL’s all-time leading passer in New England return

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady has dealt with a mountain of emotions in his return to New England, where he spent the first 20 years of his Hall of Fame worthy career. During the first quarter, Tom Brady added an NFL record-setting performance to the list of reasons to remember the night.

On a 28-yard strike down the middle to wide receiver Mike Evans, Tom Brady passed long-time competitor Drew Brees, who was in attendance as a member of the NBC broadcast, for the top spot on the NFL’s all-time leader passer list.

The moment that @TomBrady broke the passing yards record. #TheReturn | @NBC | @peacockTVpic.twitter.com/AJlE3YGJAL

— NBC Sports (@NBCSports) October 4, 2021

As fans and players congratulated Brady and a graphic showed up on the jumbotron, the Buccaneers took a timeout for their quarterback to further revel in the moment. The road team came away with a field goal after another pass to Antonio Brown put the record in the rearview.

Tom Brady passed Brees’ mark of 80,358 career yards, which he chased over the final years of their careers until the old NFL record holder retired this offseason.

Added emotions surround Brady with his parents and family in attendance, sitting in a box reserved for the opposing quarterback in an unprecedented move by Patriots owner Robert Kraft. Reunions and records are part of life for the veteran quarterback in his 22nd season, but Sunday night stands out.

Cheers and boos in New England return

As Tom Brady returns to his former team’s stadium, he received an ovation while taking the field from the tunnels and boos when he began his first drive. As countless fans in the crowd wore their Brady jerseys to the game, Brady received a full ovation and chants of his name before the game began. After the Patriots punted on their opening drive, Brady took the field for the first time to boos from the stadium.

On a night full of multiple emotions and storylines for Brady and the fans, it’s hard to say how much of an impact they had on him early. On the Buccaneers’ opening drive, Brady completed two of four passes for 14 yards before punting.

With one record down, there is still one more milestone for Brady’s career at stake during the game. If Brady can beat the Patriots, he will be the fourth NFL quarterback to have a win against all 32 NFL teams. Drew Brees, Brett Favre and Peyton Manning are the only other three quarterbacks to accomplish the feat.