Tom Brady 2021 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Game Worn ‘Super Bowl Clinching’ Shoulder Pads

Sotheby’s is proud to present for auction Tom Brady’s 2021 Tampa Bay Buccaneers game worn, Super Bowl LV clinching shoulder pads. 

As attested to by Brady himself, these shoulder pads were worn in the Buccaneers’ 31-9 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LV on February 7, 2021 at Raymond James Stadium. Brady was named Super Bowl MVP, the oldest player ever to achieve the feat, throwing for 201 yards and 3 touchdowns, while completing 21 of 29 pass attempts. The Super Bowl victory was Brady’s record-extending seventh championship of his legendary career and solidified his standing as the greatest football player of all time.  

What might be the most fascinating part of Brady’s story is the final chapter. After 20 years with the New England Patriots, he had built himself into the greatest champion to ever grace the gridiron. Brady demonstrated unparalleled leadership abilities and ferocious competitiveness time and time again. His fairy-tale career would have been the strongest in the sport’s history, should he have retired then.

“Excited, humble, and hungry ...if there is one thing I have learned about football, it’s that nobody cares what you did last year or the year before that, ...you earn the trust and respect of those around through your commitment every single day. I’m starting a new football journey and thankful for the Buccaneers for giving me an opportunity to do what I love to do…,” Brady announced on Instagram.

Brady’s switch from the Patriots to the Buccaneers was more than just a change of teams; it was a testament to his unyielding determination, his hunger for success, and his unwavering belief in his own abilities.

Brady's 2020 season with the Buccaneers went beyond just another quest for the championship; it was a journey to prove his own self-reliance. He set out to establish that he could excel outside the system of Patriots’ Head Coach Bill Belichick that had defined his career. His performances showcased his mastery of the game, his ability to read defenses, and his signature clutch playmaking.

Brady would end the year in the same place he had been nine times before, leading his team out of the tunnel before the Super Bowl, this time against his heir apparent Patrick Mahomes. Unlike his first trip, when he led the Patriots to an underdog victory in the waning moments of the game, Brady put on a masterclass and the game never felt close, the culmination of all the experience and success that once seemed so improbable.

Brady was responsible for three touchdowns—two to his former teammate in New England, Rob Gronkowski—and no interceptions, on his way to a record-extending fifth Super Bowl MVP.

In his speech during the Super Bowl ring ceremony, addressing his teammates, family, and friends, Brady finally took a moment to look back:

“A lot of you guys were young when I got drafted. I was a sixth-round pick; I was the 199th pick. I never forgot that. I still haven’t forgotten that to this day. I have a lot of perspective on where I was at one point in my life and that not a lot of teams ever thought that I could do anything for them. Not a lot of teams ever believed in what I thought I could accomplish.”

Then as he had throughout his career, he deflected praise to his teammates. “[Everyone always asks] ‘Why the Bucs? Why did you choose the Bucs?’ It was a no brainer,” Brady said, before thanking his teammates individually by name. “I came here to be with you guys. I chose here because of you guys.”

Brady would stay with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for another two years, and although they did not achieve the same success in the postseason, his passing ability would continue to reach new heights, even in the twilight of his career. In 2021, Brady led the league in passing, claimed the all-time career passing yards record, and threw for a career high 5,316 yards. At the tender age of 44 years old, Brady was still setting records.

The pads were matched to a photo taken during the following season on October 31, 2021 when the Buccaneers played the New Orleans Saints at the Caesars SuperDome. Brady threw for 375 yards and 4 touchdowns in a 36-27 loss. 

The item is accompanied by letters from MeiGray in regards to photo matching 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.