Tom Brady Super Bowl LI ‘The Comeback’ Game Worn Championship Clinching Quarterback Wristband

For all the statistical feats Tom achieved as a passer, Brady’s lasting memory is etched in dramatic victories, and there is little more captivating than a late-game comeback.

In December 2022, Brady became the all-time leader in fourth quarter comeback wins and he has three such victories in the 'Big Game' alone.

It’s quite likely that Brady’s most spectacular moment, the genuine apex of football’s greatest career, was the comeback he engineered in Super Bowl LI. Possibly the most famed comeback in sports history, the New England Patriots’ stunning surge saw Brady lead his team from a 28-3 deficit with little more than a quarter remaining, against the Atlanta Falcons. 

After a sluggish opening for the Patriots, Brady locked in when it mattered the most. Starting at the midway point of the 3rd quarter, Brady willed his team back into the game.

Clawing back from the 25 point hole, Brady dialed-up every play he could find on his wrist to pick up three touchdowns, two two-point conversions, and a field goal in less than 18 minutes of game time. The unprecedented turnaround was a masterclass in quick decisive passing and was highlighted with an unbelievable toss to Julian Edelman that saw him reel the ball in just centimeters off the ground while being dog-piled by three defenders. Super Bowl LI became the first in history to go to overtime.

When the Patriots won the ensuing coin toss and elected to take the first possession, there was little doubt what would come next. With confidence that few can match, Brady led the Patriots down the field for the final time. On a drive that would see Brady set the record for passing yards in a Super Bowl game, it was a pitch from Brady to James White for a run-in touchdown that would clinch the Super Bowl for the New England Patriots.

As the confetti rained, Brady celebrated a claim that no other quarterback in NFL history could match: five Super Bowl rings.

The item is accompanied by letters from MeiGray in regards to photomatching and Tom Brady in regards to provenance. 

Going Deeper - Tom Brady

Humble Beginnings and the Road to Greatness

There are only a few athletes who are near-universally accepted as the greatest in their sport: Tiger Woods, Muhammad Ali, Wayne Gretzky, Babe Ruth—and Tom Brady.

While most of them entered their respective sports as highly touted prospects, Brady’s journey began as an unassuming sixth-round pick of the New England Patriots in the 2000 NFL Draft.

During ESPN’s segment covering the 199th pick, resident draft expert Mel Kiper remarked, “[Brady] throws a very catchable ball.” Watching the segment today, there is little evidence Kiper realized he was talking about the player who threw perhaps the most catchable ball in the history of the sport. Brady holds the record for the most passing yards, completions, and touchdowns in NFL history.

Kiper would go on to talk about Brady’s perceived weaknesses: “The question is going to be mobility. He only runs a 5.25 forty [yard dash] and of course when you have those edge pass rushers, you have to avoid the initial defensive end, the initial pass rusher. Can he do that at the pro level?”

Brady’s seemingly pedestrian 2000 NFL Combine performance (his 40-yard dash was on par with some offensive lineman) and the now infamous photo of his less-than-strapping, unathletic physique, have become part of the lore for what many consider the best draft pick of all time. Every year come draft time, that photo of Brady gets circulated through social media as teams hope to strike gold again as the New England Patriots did in the year 2000.

Brady would acknowledge as much when he posted the picture to his personal Instagram years later, with the caption:

“19 years ago today the @patriots took a chance on the guy in this photo: Me (199) 😂. Thank you to EVERYONE who’s helped me to prove them right! PS: Did they stop taking these photos after mine?? 🤣🤣”

What followed, of course, is legend. Brady would go on to join the Patriots as their fourth-string quarterback and was, by no means, a lock to even make the team. By the following season however, he was thrust into a starting role after veteran starter Drew Bledsoe sustained an injury in week two. That opportunity was all Brady needed. He would lead the Patriots to a 20-17 victory in Super Bowl XXXVI that year and become the youngest Super Bowl MVP.

Brady would win five more Super Bowls with the New England Patriots as well as one with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on his way to becoming the best quarterback, and arguably player, in the history of the sport. No NFL player has ever come close to being as good for as long. If you split Brady’s career into segments, you would find two, maybe even three, Hall of Fame resumes.