We have done profiles on athletes for our futures section before, and we know we didn’t have to explain their accolades, but with all due respect to those men, there is only one Tom Brady.

So, maybe you will forgive us if this seems a little brief.

You all know his story. Brady was a steal for the Patriots in the 6th Round of the 2000 Draft, and he took over the starting job early in the following season following an injury to Drew Bledsoe. TB12 did what no other Quarterback did, leading the Patriots to their first Super Bowl win.  Annually, he kept getting better, taking New England to five more titles, and late in his career, he defied the odds by leading Tampa Bay to their second Super Bowl win and a record seventh for Brady.

What couldn’t he do?  Brady rarely made mistakes; whenever they were down, his team was always in it, and countless times, he lifted them up to victory.  Not only does Brady have the most wins by far from any quarterback, but he also needs a U-Haul to transport his trophies.  Look at this list:

7 Super Bowl Rings

5 Super Bowl MVPs

3 AP MVPs

3 PFWA MVPs

1 Bert Bell Award

1 NEA MVP

1 Sporting News Player of the Year

2 AP Offensive Player of the Year Awards

2 PFWA Offensive Player of the Year Awards

2 Sporting News Player of the Year Awards

3 First Team All-Pros

15 Pro Bowls

He also left the gridiron as the all-time leader in Approximate Value (326), Completions (7,753), Attempts (12,050), Passing Yards (89,214), Touchdown Passes (649), Game-Winning Drives (58) and Comebacks (46). 

Brady is not just the GOAT among NFL Quarterbacks; he is the GOAT of the entire history of the league.

The Gronk.

Half football player/half frat boy but all phenomenal, Rob Gronkowski was a 2010 second-round pick from Arizona and was the perfect fit to help Tom Brady and Bill Belichick add a new chapter to their dynasty.

Gronkowski became an immediate fan favorite in New England and captured the attention of everyone throughout the NFL.  While other Tight Ends would generate more yardage than Gronkowski, they were not as large as Gronk, who used his size to become the best blocking Tight End of his era.  This added skill set made life easier for the Pats, as Gronk was often more physically intimidating than the defensive studs trying to get to Brady.

Despite his size, Gronkowski had sure hands.  Gronkowski rarely dropped a ball; once he had it, he was a load to take down.  Gronkowski amassed 7,861 Yards for the Pats over nine seasons but had 79 Touchdowns, showing how perfect he was for clutch and short-yardage situations.  The charismatic superstar helped New England win three Super Bowls and was a four-time First Team All-Pro and five-time Pro Bowl selection.  With nothing left to prove, Gronkowski retired in 2018, and two years later, he was named to the 2010s All-Decade and NFL 100^th Anniversary Team.

The lure of a new challenge brought Gronkowski out of retirement, and he joined Tom Brady in Tampa Bay.  It worked, and Gronkowski won another Super Bowl.  He retired for good after 2021 with 9,286 Yards and 92 Touchdowns.

Gronkowski is a lock to enter on his first attempt, and we can’t wait to see his acceptance speech!

Ali Marpet made history in 2015 as the highest ever draft pick from a Division III school (Hobart) when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected the Offensive Lineman in the Second Round.

Marpet won the starting job at Right Guard as a rookie, where he played two years before he was shifted to Center for a year as Tampa Bay had a need to fill, and thought he could perform adequately.  The year after, Marpet was moved back to the Guard position, this time on the left side, and held his ground for four years, including his final one where he was chosen for the Pro Bowl, and protected the legendary Tom Brady on the road to a Super Bowl win.

Gerald McCoy was a highly sought-after player in the 2010 NFL Draft after his impressive college career at the University of Oklahoma, where he was a two-time All-American. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected him as the third overall pick, joining a long list of defensive stars on their team.

From day one, McCoy won the starting position as the Left Defensive Tackle. Although his statistics don't fully capture his value, McCoy was a consistent disruptor, overpowering most opponents and blocking lanes to open up the rush for his teammates. In his third season, he began a six-year streak of Pro Bowls, including a First Team All-Pro in 2013. He stayed with Tampa until 2018, when he was released because of salary constraints.

McCoy then played for Carolina for one year before signing a three-year contract with Dallas. Unfortunately, he never played a single game for them as he suffered a ruptured quad and was subsequently released. He sat out the entire 2020 season and signed with Las Vegas, but his time with them was cut short after he sustained a knee injury in his first game. That was his last time playing.

Throughout his career, McCoy achieved 59.5 sacks and 334 combined tackles.

2025 Pre-Season Rank #13, 2024 Pre-Season Rank #18, 2023 Pre-Season Rank #35, 2022 Pre-Season Rank #58, 2021 Pre-Season Rank #73.  Peak 2020-24

How can so much production seem so quiet?  

Two years ago, Mike Evans broke 12,500 Yards and 100 Touchdowns, and in the first 11 seasons of his career, he has never failed to break the four-digit mark in Receiving Yards.  The only person to do that is Jerry Rice, and as Evans was injured last year, he was unable to break Rice’s record, though anyone who shares a record with Rice has to be a legendary figure.

Right?

Well…

So, why is his career so unassuming?   In four of those seasons, Evans did not reach 1,100 Yards, and in two of them, he was less than 1,010.   Although Evans made the top ten in Touchdown Receptions six times, he has only reached the top ten in Receiving Yards twice and has never been a First Team All-Pro.  Regardless, he is a six-time Pro Bowl selection and a Super Bowl winner.

Entering 2026, Evans is no longer a Buccaneer, as he joins the San Francisco 49ers.  On all-time lists, should he get 1,000 Yards this year, he will vault from 21st to 12th, and he is already 10th in Touchdown Receptions, needing only four to pass Tony Gonzalez.

As it stands, we feel Evans will be a Hall of Fame inductee, but the question we ask is what year of eligibility it will occur.

Simeon Rice's pro career began in 1996, when the Arizona Cardinals drafted him third overall.   Playing at Defensive End, Rice proved his worth instantly with a 12.5 Sack year and won the Defensive Rookie of the Year Award.  Rice played with the Cardinals for five seasons and had three 10-plus-sack years there, peaking with 16.5 in 1998, which was good enough for second overall.

Rice would sign with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2001, adding to an already potent defensive corps.  He would be part of Tampa’s dominating Super Bowl win in 2002, and he would again finish second in Sacks (15.5) and was named a First Team All-Pro.  The year after, he went to his third Pro Bowl, again was second in Sacks with 15.5, and led the NFL in Forced Fumbles (6).  With the Bucs, Rice had five consecutive 11-plus sack seasons (2001-05). 

He played until 2007 and retired with 122.0 Sacks, which was phenomenal considering how little he faced the pass rush in comparison to his peers.

Anyone who plays 225 Games defensively in the National Football League is without question a double-tough competitor, and that is what we have in the run-stuffing Linebacker, Hardy Nickerson.

Nickerson was named to five Pro Bowls, all as a member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, his second team after spending six seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers.  With Tampa, he was also named a First Team and Second Team All-Pro twice and led the league in Tackles in 1993.  Nickerson would retire with over 1,500 Combined Tackles and would also be named a 1990’s Second Team All-Decade Selection.