Tom Brady 2002 NFL Pro Bowl Game Worn Jersey | First Pro Bowl Appearance

The 2001 season not only changed Tom Brady’s life, but largely shifted the entire trajectory of the National Football League. As such, February 2002 was likely an appropriate whirlwind of emotion and elation for the young legend.

In Super Bowl XXXVI, the Patriots defeated the “Greatest Show on Turf” St. Louis Rams at the Superdome in New Orleans to win their first title in franchise history. Leading his side against the presumptive team of the generation, Brady secured Super Bowl MVP honors and shuttled off the next day for festivities at Disney World. After a procession through the Magic Kingdom, he met up with his teammates for the first of six duck boat parades he would take in downtown Boston over the course of his incredible tenure in New England. Then, just two days after his incredible victory, he flew out to sunny Hawaii for the 2002 NFL Pro Bowl for the first of an NFL record 15 times.

Coming off the ultimate team achievement, Brady was deserving of individual praise as he led the Pats to an 11-3 record as a starter including three 4th quarter comeback victories. 

Brady later reflected on the his first Pro Bowl selection and its significance:

“Getting recognized by your peers to play in the Pro Bowl to me was setting a different standard. You are recognized as one of the best players in your position and being rewarded for the time and energy that goes into your career.” 

Brady competed in the quarterback skills competition and was handed the keys to the AFC 

offense in the fourth quarter. With ABC announcer Al Michaels joking that Tom was using his eye black to cover the bags under his eyes from all the travel, Brady put the finishing touches on the game and defeated the NFC 38-30.

Sotheby’s is proud to present, directly from his personal collection, Tom Brady’s 2002 AFC Pro Bowl game worn jersey from his first Pro Bowl appearance.

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.

In 2024, Brady began the next chapter of his storied career in a new arena as the primary color commentator for FOX’s Sunday NFL broadcasts.