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Top 50 New England Patriots

An inaugural franchise of the American Football League, the New England Patriots debuted as the Boston Patriots, but they were unable to win the AFL Title. They did appear in the 1963 AFL Championship Game, but that was their only playoff appearance of the 1960s.

The Patriots took on New England as their designation when they moved to Foxborough in 1971, shortly after the NFL-AFL merger.  The Patriots only made it to the playoff twice in the 70s, but in the 80s, they went to their first Super Bowl but were thumped by the Chicago Bears in 1986. A decade later, they were back again but lost to the Green Bay Packers.

The 2000s were completely different, and with Quarterback om Brady and Head Coach, Bill Belichick, the Pats won six Super Bowls, which is tied for the most with the Pittsburgh Steelers.


This list is up to the end of the 2022 season.

Note: Football lists are based on an amalgamation of tenure, traditional statistics, advanced statistics, playoff statistics, and post-season accolades.

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Playing at the University of South Carolina, Tom Addison was drafted by the Baltimore Colts and the Ottawa Rough Riders of the Canadian Football League in 1958, but he never played for either team.  He would sign with the Boston Patriots of the American Football League in 1960, a club where he would become a leader on and off the field.
After four seasons flying under the radar with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Mike Vrabel signed as a Free Agent in 2001 with the New England Patriots.  The move likely was noticed by only the most diehard Pats fans, but as it turned out, the signing was a steal.
Stephon Gilmore played for the Buffalo Bills for five seasons, with the last one earning the Cornerback his first Pro Bowl.  The New England Patriots signed him before the 2017 Season, and Gilmore would become the best Cornerback in Football.
As of this writing, Julius Adams is one of four players who has played over 200 Games for the New England Patriots, which places him in rare company.
After playing for the San Diego Chargers for nine years, Rodney Harrison joined the New England Patriots in 2003, bringing a veteran presence and a hungry attitude to what was already a great team.
Many teams historically have had players that they referred to as a "Swiss Army Knife" in that they were so versatile that they could be used in many roles.  For the New England Patriots, one such player was Kevin Faulk, who played his entire career (1999-2011) with the Pats.
Troy Brown played all of his 15 seasons (1993-2007) with the New England Patriots, and it was a career in which he always found unique ways to contribute.
Vito “Babe” Parilli took a long time to get to Boston after an excellent collegiate career at Kentucky.  Parilli was with the Green Bay Packers for two years, the Ottawa Rough Riders for two, the Cleveland Browns for one, Green Bay again for two, Ottawa back for one, and the Oakland Raiders for one season in 1960, which never saw anything…
After playing for USC and their famed "all-black backfield," Sam Cunningham played for the New England Patriots for his entire pro career.
Brian Holloway was a First Round Pick from USC in 1981, and he had the privilege of playing alongside Hall of Famer, John Hannah.
From East Carolina, the New England Patriots took Tony Collins in the Second Round in 1981, and he proceeded to have just over 1,000 Yards From Scrimmage as a rookie.
With the exception of his final year in football as a Carolina Panther, Chris Slade was always a New England Patriot over his career.