Drew Bledsoe arrived in New England as the first overall pick in the 1993 draft out of Washington State and took over as the starter almost immediately. The arm was big enough that the Patriots could throw the ball down the field on a regular basis, something the franchise had not had in years. He followed the solid rookie season with a breakout year in 1994, leading the NFL in both completions and passing yards while earning the first of his three Pro Bowl selections. The volume stayed high the next season even as the team struggled, and Bledsoe kept starting every game.

The clearest peak came in 1996. Bledsoe threw for over 4,000 yards and 27 touchdowns, earned another Pro Bowl nod, and guided the Patriots through the playoffs into Super Bowl XXXI against the Packers. He completed a high percentage of his throws in the championship game and kept the offense moving, but the team fell short. He stayed productive the following year, posting 28 touchdowns and another Pro Bowl appearance while the Patriots returned to the postseason. From 1998 through 2000, the yardage totals remained strong—three straight seasons over 3,200 yards—though the team’s results fluctuated and the offensive line did not always give him clean pockets.

Everything changed early in the 2001 season. In the second game against the Jets, Bledsoe took a hard hit from Mo Lewis that caused internal bleeding and kept him out for weeks. Tom Brady stepped in and played well enough that the staff kept him in the lineup even after Bledsoe was cleared to return. Bledsoe returned in relief during the AFC Championship game against Pittsburgh, but Brady started Super Bowl XXXVI, and the Patriots won. After the season, New England traded Bledsoe to the Buffalo Bills. His time with the Patriots ended there. With the team, he finished with 29,657 passing yards and 166 touchdowns across nine seasons. He did so while serving as the clear starter and led the franchise to its first Super Bowl appearance of the modern era.

Bledsoe entered the Patriots Hall of Fame in 2011. The first overall pick who started nearly every game from his rookie year through the late 1990s left as the quarterback who stabilized the position before the next era began.