Ranking the 7 best playmakers Tom Brady threw touchdowns to in his career with the New England Patriots.
Over the course of an incredible twenty years of Tom Brady as the quarterback of the New England Patriots, he has unequivocally accomplished all the NFL has to offer.
His seventeen division titles, nine conference championships, six Super Bowl victories, four Super Bowl MVP awards, and three league MVP awards are going to be a challenging feat to one day come by again.
Twenty years playing for the football genius of Bill Belichick seems to be easier said than done, but Brady realized early on in his career that Belichick was already en route to being the greatest coach in the game.
And for Brady to one day become the greatest quarterback of all time, he knew it would have to be with Belichick and the Patriots.
Brady always showed to have the same “team” mindset as Belichick over the years. He took endless pay cuts and lessened salaries throughout his entire career to better help create a championship team.
But in all reality, Brady could have been the highest paid player in the NFL multiple times during his tenure with the Patriots.
It’s almost contradictory to say that the team with the greatest quarterback of all time has struggled for the last twenty years in regards to finding wide receivers in the draft or in free agency that properly fit the Patriots’ system. It didn’t matter who the team had around Brady because it became a known fact that he was going to get the job done, as well as make the players around him better.
During his twenty years playing in New England, Brady has thrown 541 touchdown passes to an NFL record 77 different players. That number is set to change now that he is going to be playing for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this upcoming season.
Let’s take a look at some of the best players Brady has thrown touchdowns to over the years.
Terry Glenn
Terry Glenn was drafted seventh overall by the New England Patriots in the 1996 NFL Draft. He was considered to be the best rookie wide receiver in the history of the NFL (at the time) by leading the Pats by recording 90 receptions for 1,132 yards and six touchdowns.
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Even though Tom Brady was drafted in 2000, he didn’t get his first real taste of the NFL until the following season due to a catastrophic injury to starting quarterback Drew Bledsoe. Brady took over as the starter and later led the Patriots to the Super Bowl that year.
It’s important to realize that since Brady didn’t become the starter until 2001, he didn’t have much playing time with one of the original great Patriots, Terry Glenn.
Due to injuries, off the field issues, and disagreements with Bill Belichick, Glenn was deactivated for the rest of the season after playing in just four games of the regular season. He was later traded the following season.
Glenn would play the first six seasons of his career with the Patriots and finished with 329 receptions for 4,669 yards and 22 touchdowns. He would finish his twelve-year NFL career playing for the Patriots, Dallas Cowboys, and Green Bay Packers.
Although Brady and Glenn only played with each other for a handful of games, he has to be on the top of this list because he caught the first touchdown pass of Brady’s illustrious career. Glenn is a member of the Patriots’ All-1990’s team.
Troy Brown
Troy Brown was drafted all the way in the eighth-round (198th overall) of the 1993 NFL Draft by the New England Patriots. He spent his entire fifteen-year playing career with the Patriots and after all these years he is still seen to be a mentor-coach for the team’s wide receivers.
It took a while for Brown to establish himself as a premier weapon in the passing game for the Patriots. He started his career as a punt returner and eventually was heavily relied on.
Brown would end up doing it all for the Pats, including playing in all three phases of the game; offense, defense, and special teams.
Brown was the most complete and well-rounded football player in the NFL during his playing days and he certainly holds a spot as one of the best players in Patriots franchise history. He is the Patriots’ franchise leader in punt returns with 252 returns for 2,625 yards and three touchdowns. He is second all-time with 557 receptions and third all-time with 6,366 receiving yards.
He is also the only wide receiver in Patriots’ history who could confidently play cornerback on defense as he was often expected to. Brown has 22 career tackles (19 solo), three interceptions, 12 fumble recoveries, and one defensive touchdown. Making him the only player in NFL history with at least 550 receptions, 250 punt returns, and one interception.
Throughout their careers together, Brown has caught 19 touchdown passes during the regular season from Tom Brady, as well as one during the playoffs. Brown helped the Patriots reach four Super Bowls during his career, including the first three victories for the New England Patriots.
I like to think that Brown helped create the offensive system that is still run today, as well as set the standard of what the “Patriot Way” still is today.
Deion Branch
Once Brady solidified himself as a quality starting Super Bowl winning quarterback, the New England Patriots found it necessary to obtain more receivers who had similar and winning characteristics that could pair well with Brady. The Patriots then drafted Deion Branch in the second-round (65th overall) in the 2002 NFL Draft.
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Although the end of his regular season was cut short due to a leg injury, Branch had a rather productive rookie season for the reigning Super Bowl champions, something we have later learned is no easy accomplishment in New England. He finished his rookie season with 43 receptions for 489 yards and two touchdowns. What was most impressive was his 63.2 catch percentage.
The following year, Branch had a firmer grip on Brady’s expectations, as well as the playbook. He led the team with 57 receptions for 803 yards and three touchdowns en route to his first Super Bowl appearance with Brady and the Patriots, which was the team’s second trip to the big game in a three-year span.
Branch continued his stellar season and the second-year receiver had 10 receptions for 143 yards and one touchdown in the Patriots’ victory over the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl XXXVIII.
In 2004, after getting injured at the beginning of the season, Branch had a slow start to his third season, but would later become Mr. Reliable by the end of the season.
The Patriots advanced to the AFC Championship Game against the Pittsburgh Steelers where Branch would catch a 60-yard touchdown pass from Brady to help propel the Patriots to their third Super Bowl (XXXIX) in a four-year stretch.
In Super Bowl XXXIX against the Philadelphia Eagles, Branch tied a Super Bowl record 11 receptions for 133 yards, en route to earning Super Bowl MVP honors, becoming the first wide receiver to do so since 1989. The Patriots defeated the Eagles and Branch earned his second Super Bowl ring.
Due to failed contract negotiations in 2006, Branch was allowed permission from the Patriots to seek trade opportunities for himself. In doing so, Branch held himself out of mandatory offseason workouts and practices that led to him being fined by the team.
In the end, Branch won the grievance he filed against the Patriots and was traded to the Seattle Seahawks for the return of a first-round draft pick.
Branch would rejoin the New England Patriots for a second stint in 2010 and he would eventually retire with the team that drafted him in 2012. In seven total seasons with the Patriots, Branch would catch 24 touchdown passes in the regular season and four touchdowns in the postseason from Tom Brady over his career.
Wes Welker
In 2007, the New England Patriots decided to use their second-round and seventh-round draft picks as part of a trade package to acquire an offensively versatile player in Wes Welker from the Miami Dolphins. Once successful in doing so, Welker became Brady’s most powerful weapon.
After two seasons being used primarily as a specialist and return man with the Dolphins, Welker was quickly Brady’s favorite target from his first game as a Patriot. He became the team’s top wide receiver and eclipsed over 110 receptions and over 1,100 yards in his first three seasons in New England.
Welker would go on to play six seasons for the Patriots and he produced over 1,100 receiving yards in five out of six seasons. The only season he did not was in 2010 after coming off a knee injury the season prior and Welker still accounted for 848 receiving yards.
Welker set franchise records for the most receptions and receiving yards in a single game, as well as leading the league in receptions in ‘07, ‘09, and ‘11.
He also has the most career receptions and is third in franchise history in total receiving yards in Patriots history. Welker reached 500 receptions with the Patriots in just 70 games, which is an NFL record.
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You have to remember that Welker maintained this consistent production throughout his entire tenure in New England, including being on the same team during the great years of Randy Moss. The type of football player that Welker is, helped solidify how the Patriots would run their offense moving forward for years to come.
In Welker’s six seasons as a Patriot, he would total 672 receptions for 7,459 receiving yards and 37 touchdowns. Brady and Welker connected for 34 touchdowns.
Welker, who started his career as an undrafted rookie free agent, would become one of the best slot receivers in the game and he set the standard for the slot receiver position in the NFL.
Randy Moss
In 2007 the New England Patriots were able to rewrite their team’s blueprint when they successfully traded for one of the best wide receivers in the history of the NFL in Randy Moss.
After being traded for a fourth-round draft pick, Moss came to New England eager to join the winning culture that Bill Belichick and Tom Brady had to offer.
It didn’t take long for Brady and Moss to build a rapport. In fact, in their first season together, Brady and Moss became the best quarterback-wide receiver duo in NFL history.
Moss would finish his first season with the Patriots totaling 98 receptions for 1,493 yards and an NFL record 23 touchdowns in 2007.
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The following season, despite losing Brady to a season-ending ACL tear, Moss picked up where he left off in ‘07 with backup quarterback Matt Cassell. Moss still finished the season with 69 receptions for 1,008 yards and 11 touchdowns while catching 55 percent of his targets.
For me, it was the 2008 season that furthermore solidified the greatness of Moss as he was able to produce a great season under rash circumstances.
When Brady returned in 2009, the two paired up for one more run together that resulted in a Super Bowl loss to the New York Giants. Moss tallied 83 receptions for 1,264 yards and 13 touchdowns while catching 61 percent of his targets on the season.
After the start of the following season in 2010, Moss’ wish to be traded from the Patriots was eventually granted and the then team sent him to the Minnesota Vikings for a third-round draft pick.
It’s fair to say that the Patriots were the last team to benefit from the great Randy Moss. In 52 games with the Pats over four years, Moss finished with 259 receptions for 3,904 yards and 50 touchdowns.
Moss ranks 12th all-time in New England Patriots franchise history in total yards and is tied for third all-time with Ben Coates for the most touchdown receptions in franchise history. Moss is the only player in franchise history to accomplish everything he did in the least amount of games (52).
Rob Gronkowski
Everything changed for the better when the New England Patriots drafted Rob Gronkowski in the second-round of the 2010 NFL Draft. His skills paired with his high-energy personality really set him apart from the normal qualities of being on the Patriots.
But In just nine years in the league (all with the Patriots), Gronkowski would arguably become the greatest tight end in NFL history.
Similar to the years of Moss, Gronkowski and Brady quickly formed an on-field rapport with each other that was second to none in the league. As a rookie, Gronk finished with 42 receptions for 546 yards and 10 touchdowns, which was the most by a rookie tight end since the NFL-AFL merger.
Gronk followed up his impressive rookie season by statistically being the best tight end in the league, as well as being considered in the top ten of all the wide receivers in the NFL. He finished the 2011 season as a First-Team All-Pro and totaled 90 receptions for 1,327 yards and 17 touchdowns while catching 73 percent of his targets.
His 17 receiving touchdowns were the most by any player in the NFL that season, making him the first tight end to do so. It’s worth mentioning that Gronk did have a rushing touchdown in 2011, giving him 18 total for the season.
Gronk would lose his first Super Bowl that year in Super Bowl XLVI to the New York Giants and would later require ankle surgery in the off season. In just two seasons together, Gronk and Brady had connected on 27 touchdowns, which would be the most for Brady since the days of Moss.
Gronk started to become more limited from the middle of the 2012 season and pretty much all through 2013 due to various injuries. He broke his arm late in the season that would end up requiring four surgeries to repair and tore his ACL and MCL the following season after just seven games.
But even so, he still made his presence known on the field. Gronk played 11 games in 2012 finishing with 790 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns, becoming the first tight end in NFL history to record at least 10 touchdowns in three consecutive seasons.
In 2013 he played only seven games before his aforementioned surgery and had 592 yards and four touchdowns.
Gronkowski bounced back in 2014 earning Comeback Player of the Year and really from then on the New England Patriots were championship contenders until he retired in 2018. Gronkowski would become a four-time First-Team All-Pro, be named to five Pro Bowl’s, and won three Super Bowl’s with the Patriots.
Gronk has the most receiving touchdowns in the regular season (78) and postseason (12) from Tom Brady, which is also good for first all-time in New England Patriots franchise history. He also finished his career with 7,861 receiving yards, which is second all-time in franchise history.
Julian Edelman
Julian Edelman has been with the New England Patriots since 2009 when the team drafted him in the seventh-round out of Kent State. Edelman became the most all around and complete football player the Patriots have had since Troy Brown. Edelman has done it all for Bill Belichick and the Patriots and is continuing to do so going into his 11th season with the team.
Edelman had the luxury of watching the success between Tom Brady and Wes Welker during the start of his career and was able to learn the expectations of being a slot receiver for Brady.
When Welker left in 2013, Edelman stepped up and produced his first season over 1,000 yards in his career and scored six touchdowns.
Ever since then, Edelman and Brady started working together in the off season and became best friends along the way.
In doing so, Edelman became a master technician of the New England Patriots playbook and an expert route runner for Brady. Edelman currently ranks fourth all-time in franchise history with 6,507 yards, and ninth all-time in franchise history with 36 receiving touchdowns.
He also ranks third all-time in kick/punt return yards with 1,986 yards for four touchdowns, which is the most in franchise history.
Edelman is a three-time Super Bowl champion, winning one Super Bowl MVP along the way, and has caught 36 regular season touchdowns and five postseason touchdowns from Tom Brady.