No player in the six-decade long history of the New England Patriots has had the same impact on the franchise as Tom Brady. After taking over as the team’s starting quarterback for Drew Bledsoe in 2001, the former sixth-round draft pick powered the greatest run not just in Patriots but league annals: with Brady at the helm, New England won six Super Bowls and dominated the AFC East in never-before-seen fashion.
However, the team will have to move on without the future Hall of Famer after he announced his decision to leave the team earlier this week. Brady’s departure ends the greatest run pro football has ever seen, and forces all of New England to waive goodbye to its favorite adopted son. The Patriots, meanwhile, do just that in style: as first reported by ESPN Boston’s Mike Reiss, the club put up billboards across the region in honor of Brady:
On a billboard about 1 mile north of Gillette Stadium this morning. pic.twitter.com/yWQZz4Iurf
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) March 19, 2020
THANK YOU TOM
THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME!
WITH LOVE,
THE KRAFT FAMILY AND THE NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS
The billboards also show six stars as a reference to the number of championships Brady helped bring to the organization. The Patriots have invested in a total of 12 billboards spread across New England, which is another reference to the future Hall of Famer: Brady wore the No. 12 jersey during his two decades with the team — a jersey that will soon be retired by the team to further manifest his legacy and impact on the club and the region as a whole.
If you also want to honor Tom Brady’s time with the Patriots, please head over to the Pats Pulpit FanShop for t-shirts and hoodies that celebrate his time in New England.