He already owns more Super Bowl rings than any other player or franchise in NFL history. Now Tom Brady also has the most Pro Bowl invitations of all time.
On Monday, two days before the entire AFC and NFC rosters will be revealed, the NFL revealed the names of five players who have been voted into the 2022 Pro Bowl. One of those five was Brady, who is now the first 15-time all-star in league history. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback had been tied for first in all-time Pro Bowl berths with four other players, all of whom are now in the Hall of Fame: tight end Tony Gonzalez, quarterback Peyton Manning, offensive lineman Bruce Matthews and defensive tackle Merlin Olsen.
The rest of the Pro Bowl rosters, which could include additional Buccaneers, will be announced on the evening of Wednesday, December 22 on the "NFL Total Access: Pro Bowl Players Revealed" show on NFL Network, beginning at 8:00 p.m. ET.
Brady entered the NFL's 15th weekend with the league lead in most major passing categories, including yards (4,134), attempts (554), completions (378) and touchdown passes (36). He has guided the Buccaneers to a 10-4 record and first place in the NFC South, with just one more win needed to secure the division title.
Brady is the fifth Tampa Bay quarterback to earn a Pro Bowl spot and the first since Jameis Winston received the honor as a rookie in 2015. Trent Dilfer (1997), Brad Johnson (2002) and Jeff Garcia (2007) also played in the all-star game as Buccaneers. Brady also made the Pro Bowl 14 times over 20 seasons with the New England Patriots, including 10 straight years from 2009-18. He did not get a Pro Bowl invite in his first season as a Buccaneer despite throwing for 4,633 yards and a team-record 40 touchdowns and leading Tampa Bay back to the playoffs for the first time in 13 years. The 2020 Buccaneers would go on to win Super Bowl LV – Brady's record seventh league title – and he was named Super Bowl MVP for the fifth time.
It has been a record-setting year for Brady, who continues to cement his status as the NFL's G.O.A.T. In a Week Four win at New England, he surpassed Drew Brees as the league's all-time leader in passing yards, and in a Week 14 victory over Buffalo he took the NFL's career completions record from Brees, as well. Brady had already reeled in the NFL's all-time touchdown pass record in 2020 but in Week 14 he also threw the 700th scoring pass of his career, playoffs included.
The Buccaneers strangely had just one player invited to the Pro Bowl in 2020, outside linebacker Jason Pierre-Paul, on their way to the Super Bowl championship. With the exposure from that successful playoff run and another strong season in 2021, the Bucs could be in line to have additional players join Brady in this year's all-star game. That information will have to wait until Wednesday evening, however.
