Do you know whom Tom Brady replaced as the New England Patriots QB? With the retired legend rising as the NFL GOAT from his first experience in the league with the Patriots, not everyone might be aware of the legend before him. It was Drew Bledsoe who laid the foundation for the Patriots to a successful stint for the next two decades. 

Drew Bledsoe was the face of the franchise who ended the team’s seven-year postseason drought during his career in New England from 1993 to 2001. Under his leadership, the Patriots clinched four playoff appearances, two divisional victories, and a Super Bowl appearance. But a fatal injury wiped out his chances of returning to the Patriots as the starting QB. 

Drew Bledsoe’s deadly injury  

The Patriots ‘Dynasty’ docuseries is out and the Patriots starting QB Drew Bledsoe, the QB before Tom Brady, opens up on his grave injury that happened in 2001. In the fourth quarter on Sunday against the New York Jets in Week 2, Bledsoe suffered a near-fatal injury when he was hit by Mo Lewis. It led to a concussion, a collapsed lung, and internal bleeding, a case that would’ve killed him without treatment. Former Patriots CB Ty Law also recalled the incident saying, “Our team was shocked. Because that was the face of the team. That was our leader. That was a $100 million quarterback. And he’s down.”

Drew Bledsoe said, “When you’re part of the team, the team is bigger than you are. But my personal responsibility within that had always been to be the man. I was the guy, right? I was the quarterback. I was the franchise guy, I was the face, all these things had been my piece of that team.” Bledsoe has three Pro Bowls under his belt and became the youngest QB to play in the professional league Pro Bowl game in 1995. But his season-ending injury with the Patriots paved the way for Tom Brady to rise as the new face of the franchise. 

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What happened to Drew Bledsoe after the season-ending injury?

Tom Brady’s newfound success didn’t put Bledsoe in a favorable position to return as the starting QB for the franchise. Instead, after his recovery, he was traded to the Buffalo Bills where he served as the starting QB. He performed impressive leading to another Pro Bowl in his rookie year in 2002 after finishing with 4,359 yards and 24 touchdowns. But he never made it to the playoffs in his three seasons with the Bills. 

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While Tom Brady may have stolen the spotlight, it was Drew Bledsoe who laid the foundation for the team’s success. He also spent two of his last seasons in the NFL playing for the Dallas Cowboys. In 2011, the team inducted Bledsoe into the Patriots Hall of Fame for his achievements in New England. 

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