who played for the patriots before tom brady
Drew Bledsoe Following a period of declining success and two consecutive seasons where the Patriots missed the playoffs, Bledsoe suffered a near-fatal injury early in the 2001 season and was replaced as starter by Tom Brady. He was unable to regain his starting position after he was medically cleared to play due to Brady's success with the team, which culminated with the franchise's first Super Bowl win, although Bledsoe relieved Brady in the AFC Championship game and led the Patriots to victory to secure their berth in the Super Bowl.[4][5] Bledsoe then retired after short stints with the Bills and the Cowboys. For his accomplishments in New England, he was inducted into the Patriots Hall of Fame in 2010. He also gave the Patriots a trophy at the end of the AFC Championship game in 2018.