Tom Brady Sends Clear Message to Patriots Before NFL Draft

Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Tom Brady Sends Clear Message to Patriots Before NFL Draft

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Will Chesanek | Last updated Apr 16, 2026 4:33 PM ET

Tom Brady had a tremendous career with the New England Patriots. From starting at quarterback in nine Super Bowl appearances, winning six of them and being named Super Bowl MVP four times, Brady had an incomparable run with head coach Bill Belichick.

In his 20-year career in New England, Brady dominated the competition. He had a regular-season record of 219-64, threw for 74,751 yards, 541 touchdowns, and 179 interceptions. The current FOX Sports announcer has a .749 winning percentage, which is the third-highest among retired players, trailing only Otto Graham of the Cleveland Browns (.813, 88-16-3) and former Dallas Cowboys great Roger Staubach (.746, 85-29).

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (12)RVR Photos-Imagn Images

Owner and CEO Robert Kraft and Brady had a strong relationship for decades that soured towards the end. Kraft decided to honor Brady with a statue in 2025, seemingly an olive branch to mend the relationship. It seems both sides are willing to make amends now, as Brady went to social media to send a message to New England.

On Thursday, Brady posted on his Instagram story. The image shows his information from his NFL Draft card. The top of the image features the “NFL Draft 2000” insignia for that year’s draft. The card is printed with information from his draft day, along with the Patriots logo at the bottom. Brady wrote a heartfelt message in the caption, clearly reminiscing about his days in New England before the start of the upcoming 2026 NFL Draft.

“Time flies... I’m so blessed to have been drafted by the @patriots...” Brady captioned the image. “The most amazing fans, teammates, coaches, staff and ownership a player could ever dream of... Love you always, Pats Nation.”

ROUND: (#6) New England
CHOICE FROM: Compensatory pick
NAME: Tom Brady
POSITION: QB
SCHOOL: Michigan
OVERALL: No. 199