Best Quarterbacks in New England Patriots History

Eason led the Patriots to the Super Bowl in 1986, but he went 0-for-6 with three sacks in the game. He did earn fourth place in NFL Most Valuable Player voting that year, but never played as a regular starter the rest of his career.

He ultimately finished with eight years in the league, three as starter. If you're wondering why he's on the list, check out the rest of the Patriots' passing history.

4. Steve Grogan (1975-1990)

The seven seasons Grogan spent as New England’s No. 1 quarterback, the Patriots finished .500 or better every time, though they only made the playoffs twice.

Still, Grogan led the NFL passing in one of those seasons and even set the NFL record for rushing touchdowns by a quarterback in 1976 when he ran for 12, a record that stood for 35 years. He never made a Pro Bowl but played his entire 16-year career with New England and remains third in franchise history in yards passing and second in touchdowns.

MORE: The 5 Best-Drafting NFL Teams: QBs | RBs | WRs | LBs

3. Drake Maye (2024-Present)

Maye likely won’t stay at No. 3. Though with just two NFL seasons under his belt, we couldn’t quite put him higher. His second season, in 2025, was a dandy. Maye led the Patriots to the Super Bowl for the first time since the No. 1 player on this list was winning them by the handful.

New England went 14-3 in the regular season with Maye at the helm and he led the NFL by completing 72% of his passes while throwing 31 touchdowns against just eight interceptions en route to a second straight Pro Bowl selection.

2. Drew Bledsoe (1993-2001)

The No. 1 overall pick in the 1993 draft, Bledsoe was never the most efficient passer in the world as he finished his career with 251 touchdowns and 201 interceptions. But Bledsoe’s arrival provided the franchise with, at the time, the greatest quarterback the organization had ever seen.

The Patriots hadn’t had a winning since 1988 before Bledsoe arrived and had won two games or fewer in two of the three seasons before he entered the league. A scary injury in 2001 resulted in Tom Brady’s installation as New England’s quarterback of the present and Bledsoe, who recovered, played three more seasons in Buffalo and two in Dallas, finishing his career with four Pro Bowl appearances. 

1. Tom Brady (2000-2019)

The greatest quarterback to ever play the game -- and the best NFL draft steal of all time -- ranks No. 1 on the Patriots list, obviously. What can be said about Brady that hasn’t been?

Instead, let’s just go through his accolades: Seven Super Bowl titles, five Super Bowl MVPs, three MVPs, 15 Pro Bowls, three All-Pro selections, All-2000s and All-2010s team, and soon-to-be Hall of Famer.