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The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's 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 downtown Boston.
Gino Raymond Michael Cappelletti was an American professional football player. He played college football at University of Minnesota and was an All-Star in the American Football League (AFL) for the Boston Patriots, winning the 1964 AFL Most Valuable Player Award. Cappelletti is a member of the Patriots Hall of Fame, and the Patriots' All-1960s Team. He served as the Patriots' radio color commentator until July 2012. His nicknames included "The Duke" and "Mr. Patriot".
Thomas Edward Patrick Brady Jr. is an American football quarterback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL). He spent his first 20 seasons with the New England Patriots, where he was a central contributor to the franchise's dynasty from 2001 to 2019. Brady is widely regarded as the greatest quarterback of all-time.
Troy Fitzgerald Brown is an American football coach and former wide receiver who is the wide receivers and kick returners coach for the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). He previously played in the NFL for 15 seasons with the Patriots. Brown played college football at Marshall and was selected by the Patriots in the eighth round of the 1993 NFL Draft. During his New England tenure, he received Pro Bowl honors and was a member of the franchise's first three Super Bowl-winning teams. In 2020, Brown rejoined the Patriots as an offensive assistant. He was inducted to the College Football Hall of Fame in 2010. Brown also was inducted to the Patriots Hall of Fame in 2012.
William Stephen Belichick is an American professional football coach who is the head coach of the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). He exercises extensive authority over the Patriots' football operations, effectively making him the team's general manager as well. He holds numerous coaching records, including winning a record six Super Bowls as the head coach of the Patriots, and two more as defensive coordinator for the New York Giants. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest coaches in NFL history.
Tajuan Edward "Ty" Law is a former American football cornerback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 15 seasons, primarily with the New England Patriots. He played college football at Michigan and was selected by the Patriots in the first round of the 1995 NFL Draft. During his 10 seasons in New England, he received four Pro Bowl selections and two first-team All-Pro honors. A three-time Super Bowl winner with the Patriots, Law also holds the franchise record for interceptions. Law spent his final five seasons as a member of the New York Jets, Kansas City Chiefs, and Denver Broncos, earning a fifth Pro Bowl selection with the formermost. Ranking 24th in NFL career interceptions, he twice led the league in interceptions during the 1998 and 2005 seasons. He was inducted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2019.
Drew McQueen Bledsoe is a former American 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, 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 one 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 all-star game with his 1995 appearance.
John Allen Hannah, nicknamed "Hog", is an American former football guard who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons with the New England Patriots. He played college football at Alabama, where he twice received All-American honors, and was selected fourth overall by the Patriots in the 1973 NFL Draft. Considered one of the greatest offensive linemen of all time, Hannah was selected to nine Pro Bowls and received seven first-team All-Pro honors. He was inducted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1991 and the College Football Hall of Fame in 1999. The same year as the former, he also became the inaugural inductee of the New England Patriots Hall of Fame.
Wesley Carter Welker is an American football coach and former wide receiver who is the wide receivers coach for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served as an assistant coach for the San Francisco 49ers and the Houston Texans. He played college football for the Texas Tech Red Raiders and was signed by the San Diego Chargers as an undrafted free agent in 2004. Welker also played for the Dolphins, as well as the New England Patriots, Denver Broncos, and St. Louis Rams.
Axel Edward Brian Hoyer is an American football quarterback for the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). Since joining the NFL in 2009 as an undrafted free agent, he has started for seven different teams, the second-most in league history. Hoyer has also spent six non-consecutive seasons as a backup on the Patriots and was part of the team that won a Super Bowl title in Super Bowl LIII.
Qualin Dont'a Hightower is an American football linebacker who is a free agent. He played college football at Alabama, where he received consensus All-American honors and won two BCS National Championships. Hightower played his first 10 seasons in the National Football League (NFL) for the New England Patriots, who selected him in the first round of the 2012 NFL Draft. During his Patriots tenure, he was named to two Pro Bowls and won three Super Bowl titles.
Julian Francis Edelman is a former American football wide receiver who played in the National Football League (NFL). He played as a quarterback at Kent State and was selected in the seventh round of the 2009 NFL Draft by the Patriots, where he transitioned to a return specialist and wide receiver. Edelman became a primary offensive starter in 2013 and was a staple of the Patriots' receiving corps until his retirement after the 2020 season.
Robert James "Gronk" Gronkowski is an American football tight end who is a free agent. He previously played nine seasons for the New England Patriots, then played the past 2 seasons for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. 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 in the NFL 2010s All-Decade Team and NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time Team.
Devin McCourty is an American football safety for the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Rutgers and was selected by the Patriots in the first round of the 2010 NFL Draft. Missing only five games during his Patriots tenure, McCourty received two Pro Bowl selections and was a member of three Super Bowl-winning teams. McCourty also has the most postseason starts for a defensive player.
Brandon Bolden is an American football running back for the Las Vegas Raiders of the National Football League (NFL). He was signed as an undrafted free agent in 2012 by the New England Patriots, where he played nine non-consecutive seasons. Primarily utilized as a special teams player, Bolden was a member of two Super Bowl-winning teams with New England. In between his two Patriots stints, he played for the Miami Dolphins in 2018. Bolden left the Patriots a second time to join the Raiders in 2022.
James Calvin White is an American football running back for the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Wisconsin and was selected by the Patriots in the fourth round of the 2014 NFL Draft. Primarily utilized as a receiver, he holds the Super Bowl records for receptions and points scored, which he set in Super Bowl LI. White is also tied with Darren Sproles for the most receptions in a playoff game.
Logan Daniel Ryan is an American football free safety for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Rutgers as a cornerback and was drafted by the New England Patriots in the third round of the 2013 NFL Draft. He has also played for the Tennessee Titans and New York Giants.
Malcom D'Shawn Brown is an American football defensive tackle for the Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Texas. He was drafted by the New England Patriots with the 32nd overall pick in the 2015 NFL draft.
Stephen C. Belichick is an American football coach who is the current outside linebackers coach for the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). He formerly was the team's safeties coach and worked as a defensive assistant since he began coaching in 2012.
