Tom Brady remarks on major anniversary of career-changing moment

As Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio noted, it was 20 years ago Thursday when a young quarterback named Tom Brady replaced an injured Drew Bledsoe while with the New England Patriots. The rest, as the saying goes, is history. 

Brady went on to earn six Super Bowl rings with the Patriots before he joined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in March 2020 and then put a seventh title on his resume. The 44-year-old admitted when speaking with reporters the time has gone "pretty fast" during his unprecedented career. 

"I don’t think anyone thinks 20 years ago where their life would be," Brady explained, according to Ryan Gaydos of Fox News. "I certainly don’t think in my wildest dreams I could’ve imagined what’s happened. I am just very appreciative and grateful for all of the different things that have happened over time. Really, it’s just about the support system of people. My teammates over 20 years, my coaches, my family, my friends — I just have great memories." 

He continued: 

"Sports have a great way of bringing people together, and I think for my family still. It still has allowed everyone to come [together]. Like two weeks ago, I had everyone here for the opener, which was a lot of fun. It’s been a great journey."

Brady recently teased he could continue playing until he's 50, and he enters Week 3 leading the NFL with nine touchdown passes, per ESPN stats. Those who know anything about Brady understand he's currently focused only on notching a victory at the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday to put the Bucs at 3-0 on the season.