The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. The Patriots compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The Patriots play home games at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, which is 22 miles (35 km) southwest of Boston. The franchise is owned by Robert Kraft, who purchased the team in 1994. As of 2023, the Patriots are tied for the third-most valuable sports team in the world and have sold out every home game since 1994.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) South division. They joined the NFL in 1976 as an expansion team, along with the Seattle Seahawks, and played its first season in the American Football Conference (AFC) West division.
Thomas Edward Patrick Brady Jr. is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 23 seasons. He spent his first 20 seasons with the New England Patriots and was a central contributor to the franchise's dynasty from 2001 to 2019. In his final three seasons, he was a member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Brady is widely regarded as the greatest quarterback of all time.
Randy Gene Moss is an American former professional football wide receiver who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons with the Minnesota Vikings, Oakland Raiders, New England Patriots, Tennessee Titans, and San Francisco 49ers. Widely regarded as one of the greatest wide receivers of all time, he holds the NFL single-season touchdown reception record, as well as the NFL single-season touchdown reception record for a rookie.
William Stephen Belichick is an American sports analyst and American football coach. Widely regarded as one of the greatest head coaches of all time, he holds numerous coaching records, including the record of most Super Bowl wins (six) as a head coach, all with the New England Patriots, along with two more during his time as the defensive coordinator of the New York Giants, for a record eight combined total Super Bowl victories as coach and coordinator. A renowned American football historian, Belichick is often referred to as a "student of the game" with a deep knowledge of the intricacies of each player position. During his tenure with the Patriots, Belichick was a central figure as the head coach and de facto general manager during the franchise's dynasty from 2001 to 2019.
Drew McQueen Bledsoe is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons, primarily with the New England Patriots. He played college football at Washington State University, where he won Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Year as a junior, and was selected by the Patriots first overall in the 1993 NFL draft. Considered the face of the Patriots franchise during his nine seasons with the team, Bledsoe helped improve New England's fortunes from 1993 to 2001. Under Bledsoe, the Patriots ended a seven-year postseason drought, qualified for the playoffs four times, clinched their division twice, and made a Super Bowl appearance in Super Bowl XXXI. He was also named to three Pro Bowls and became the youngest quarterback to play in the NFL's Pro Bowl game in 1995.
Morris Clyde Lewis III is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker for 13 seasons with the New York Jets of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Georgia Bulldogs and was drafted by the Jets in the third round of the 1991 NFL draft. Lewis was named to three Pro Bowls and was a first-team All-Pro during his career, in addition to being a member of the Jets All-Time Four Decade Team. However, Lewis' accomplishments would be overshadowed by him injuring New England Patriots quarterback Drew Bledsoe in 2001, which inadvertently began a dynasty for the Patriots when they relieved Bledsoe with Tom Brady.
John Matthew Stover is an American former professional football player who was a placekicker for 20 seasons in the National Football League (NFL), primarily with the Baltimore Ravens. After five seasons for the Cleveland Browns, he was among the Browns players transferred to the newly created Ravens franchise in 1996, with whom he played 13 seasons. Additionally, Stover was a member of the New York Giants during his first season and Indianapolis Colts during his last. His most successful season was in 2000 when he earned Pro Bowl and first-team All-Pro honors en route to the Ravens winning their first Super Bowl title in Super Bowl XXXV. He was also part of the Giants team that won Super Bowl XXV. For his accomplishments with the Ravens, Stover was named to the Baltimore Ravens Ring of Honor in 2011.
Craig Neil Erickson is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL). Prior to entering the NFL, he played college football for the Miami Hurricanes. He was selected by the Philadelphia Eagles in the fifth round of the 1991 NFL draft and also by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the fourth round of the 1992 NFL draft. He is one of the few NFL players to be drafted twice. Coincidentally, each was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Robert James Gronkowski is an American former professional football tight end who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons. Nicknamed "Gronk", Gronkowski played nine seasons for the New England Patriots, then played his final two seasons for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Regarded as one of the greatest tight ends of all time, he is a four-time Super Bowl champion, a five-time Pro Bowl selection, a four-time first-team All-Pro selection, and was selected to the NFL 2010s All-Decade Team and NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time Team.
Tyrann Devine Mathieu is an American professional football safety for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the LSU Tigers. In college he developed a reputation for causing turnovers, setting a Southeastern Conference (SEC) record with 11 career forced fumbles and earning the nickname "the Honey Badger" after the mammal of the same name. In his sophomore season, he was recognized as a consensus All-American, won the Chuck Bednarik Award as the best defensive player in college football, and was a finalist for the Heisman Trophy. Mathieu was dismissed from the LSU football program after that season due to a violation of team rules.
Dwayne Lamont Allen is an American former professional football tight end who played in the National Football League (NFL) for seven seasons. He played college football for the Clemson Tigers, where he won the John Mackey Award as a junior, and was selected by the Indianapolis Colts in the third round of the 2012 NFL draft. Allen spent his first five seasons with the Colts and was a member of the New England Patriots in his final two. During his Patriots tenure, he made two consecutive Super Bowl appearances and won Super Bowl LIII.
Rickey Lee Brady, Jr. is a former professional American football tight end who played in the National Football League (NFL). He was a member of the Los Angeles Rams, New Orleans Saints, Philadelphia Eagles, Dallas Cowboys, Miami Dolphins, Tennessee Titans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Scottish Claymores and the Las Vegas Outlaws of the XFL.
The Tom Brady–Peyton Manning rivalry was a series of games that took place between 2001 and 2015 involving two quarterbacks in the National Football League (NFL): Tom Brady and Peyton Manning. It is considered by many to be the greatest individual NFL rivalry of all time, and has been compared to other legendary sports rivalries, such as Magic–Bird in basketball, Ali–Frazier in boxing, and Messi–Ronaldo in association football.
Marshon Demond Lattimore is an American professional football cornerback for the Washington Commanders of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Ohio State Buckeyes and was selected by the New Orleans Saints in the first round of the 2017 NFL draft. Lattimore was named the 2017 Defensive Rookie of the Year and made four Pro Bowls with the Saints before being traded to the Commanders midway through the 2024 season.
Saiid Paulson Adebo is an American professional football cornerback for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Stanford and was drafted by the Saints in the third round of the 2021 NFL draft.
Deommodore Lenoir is an American professional football cornerback for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Oregon.
Cade Otton is an American professional football tight end for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL). He previously played college football at Washington before being selected by the Buccaneers in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL draft.
