Dan Kelley’s 12 Greatest Patriots Players in Franchise History

As part of the “Twelve Days of Tom Brady” to honor the greatest football player who ever lived, several features have been posted on Patriots Football Now. Before Week 1 of the 2024 season arrives there will be 12 such special articles related to Tom Brady. This one might be the toughest one to write of them all. Listing the 12 greatest players in New England Patriots franchise history.

I approached this exercise with a great deal of thought. Even after multiple rounds of trying to narrow down the pool, there were still 30 players remaining. I considered narrowing down the list to the Top 12 of the Tom Brady Era. But ultimately I managed to get down to a dozen of the greatest players in franchise history. Did I get the list exactly right? Even I’m not sure, to be honest.

Also Read – The All-Patriots Team of the Tom Brady Era

Before getting into the countdown of the players who made the list, I do want to acknowledge the players who received serious consideration before ultimately being snubbed.

Fantastic and Not Forgotten

These ten players were all franchise greats who received serious consideration. They made the cut to 30 before being left off when the list was narrowed to 20. These guys were all franchise greats who deserve their props. The players who advanced are not just Patriots Hall of Fame members (as all of these players should be) but potential Pro Football Hall of Fame players based on their play for the Patriots.

That said, here are the players who ranked 21-to-30 (listed in alphabetical order): Julius Adams, Bruce Armstrong, Drew Bledsoe, Troy Brown, Nick Buoniconti, Raymond Clayborn, Kevin Faulk, Steve Grogan, Matt Light, and Steve Nelson.

If anyone believes one or more of these players deserves to be in the Top 20, I’ll have a hard time arguing the point. But the next list is tough to pick somebody to remove.

Honorable Mention

Eight players made the cut down to Top 20 but didn’t quite made the dozen being honored here. I went back and forth several times on a few of these players. This group includes several of my personal favorite New England Patriots players of all time. These players aren’t just good, they are great. I could write essays about each of them belonging in the Pro Football Hall of Fame based solely on their play for the Patriots. How do potential Pro Football Hall of Fame inductees not make the top twelve? It’s an incredibly difficult group to crack.

Those on the honorable mention list are some of the greatest players in NFL history. Not making the final list speaks to the quality of the final list far more than it does the qualifications of these men.

So, with sincere apologies, I present the players who just fell short of being included on the final list (once again, listed in alphabetical order): Houston Antwine, Tedy Bruschi, Gino Cappelletti, Ben Coates, Logan Mankins, Devin McCourty, Matthew Slater, and Wes Welker.

Leaving a few of these players off the list was incredibly difficult. Gino Cappelletti is “Mr. Patriot” and was omitted. Bruschi and McCourty tied for No. 12 on the list for a while, even though it felt like cheating. Pro Football Hall of Fame cases can be made for Antwine, Coates, Mankins, and Slater. These eight were all left off the final list with a great amount of difficulty. It’s possible by the time this is published my opinion will have changed yet again. But when a “Top 12” list is made, only 12 players can be included. Hopefully the right players were chosen.

And now, onto the Top 12 players in New England Patriots franchise history:

12. Adam Vinatieri, PK (1996-2005)

Placekickers might not be revered in many franchise’s history, but Adam Vinatieri was something special. He was part of four AFC Championship teams and three Super Bowl winners in New England. Vinatieri earned two Pro Bowl and All-Pro honors during his time with the Patriots, but his clutch kicks are what made him a Patriots legend. He booted a game-tying field goal in the “Snow Bowl” games against the Raiders that Bill Belichick considers the greatest kick in NFL history. He kicked two game-winning field goals in the Super Bowl. Nobody kicked a game-winning field goal in the Super Bowl before Vinatieri.

11. Julian Edelman, WR (2009-2020)

Like Vinatieri, Edelman is best remembered for his special moments and stepping up when his team needed him most. His regular season statistics were very solid, 620 catches for 6,822 yards, and 36 touchdowns. He had two seasons with 100 receptions and three 1,000-yard seasons. But the postseason is where he excelled most. Edelman had 118 postseason receptions for 1,442 yards and five touchdowns. When he retired he was second to only Jerry Rice in postseason receptions and receiving yards. Edelman won three Super Bowls with the New England Patriots and took home Super Bowl 53 MVP. Edelman was also a solid contributor as a punt returner for the Patriots.

10. Willie McGinest, DE/LB (1994-2005)

McGinest was the first draft pick of the Robert Kraft Era in New England. It turned out to be a great one. McGinest was a key player on Patriots defenses that played in four Super Bowls and won three of them. He recorded 78.0 regular season sacks, the second most in franchise history. The two-time Pro Bowl selection was a monster in the postseason. He helped neutralize Marshall Faulk of the Rams in the Patriots Super Bowl 36 victory. His 16.0 career postseason sacks are the most in NFL history. McGinest played a key role in turning the New England Patriots into perennial contenders. He made his presence felt in every game he played in.

9. Stanley Morgan, WR (1977-1989)

Morgan is the first player on the list who never played with Tom Brady. Morgan played with a plethora of Patriots quarterbacks during his 13 years in New England. This included Steve Grogan, Tony Eason, Matt Cavanaugh, Doug Flutie, Tom Ramsey, and Marc Wilson. Morgan managed to put up monster numbers regardless of who was throwing the ball. He is the franchise’s all-time leader in receiving yards with 10,352. The four-time Pro Bowl selection led the NFL in yards per reception three times. He’s the NFL’s all-time leader in yards per reception for all players with at least 500 receptions. He ended his Patriots career with 534 receptions for 10,352 yards and 67 touchdown receptions. His 19.4 yards per reception is evidence that Stanley Morgan was a problem for opposing defenses.

8. Mike Haynes, CB (1976-1982)

Had Haynes played longer in New England he’d certainly be higher on this list. He spent seven seasons with both the Patriots and the Raiders. But Haynes’ seven seasons in Foxboro were special. He made six Pro Bowls and earned six second-team All-Pro honors. Haynes won the 1976 Defensive Rookie of the Year Award. Haynes recorded 28 interceptions and 11 fumble recoveries for the Patriots. As the passing game became more prevalent in the NFL, Mike Haynes was consistently a lockdown corner for New England. He also excelled as a kickoff returner, bringing back two for touchdowns in his rookie season.

7. Richard Seymour, DL (2001-2008)

When Seymour arrived in New England, Bill Belichick’s defense got an unfair advantage. Seymour would take up two blockers and often three on every play. This gave the Patriots defense the advantage of playing 10-vs-8. It was like having a power play on defense whenever Seymour was on the field. He won three Super Bowls with the Patriots and a fourth AFC Championship. Seymour earned five Pro Bowl berths. He reached first-team All-Pro status three times during his New England years. He was runner-up to Ray Lewis for the 2003 NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award. Like Haynes, he’d be higher on the list had he stayed with the New England Patriots for his entire NFL career.

6. Vince Wilfork, DT (2004-2014)

Wilfork and Tom Brady are the only two New England Patriots players to be part of both the first three Super Bowls and the second three. He won Super Bowl 39 as a rookie (Brady’s third ring) and was still around for the Super Bowl 49 win a decade later. Wilfork proved to be an immovable object in the middle of the Patriots defense. His efforts earned him five Pro Bowl nods and four second-team All-Pro selections. Playing a role where it is hard to accumulate stats, Wilfork still managed 517 tackles (including 37 TFL), 16 sacks, and 12 fumble recoveries during his Patriots years. He added 81 tackles and 3.0 sacks in the postseason.

5. Ty Law, CB (1995-2004)

In a decade with the New England Patriots, Ty Law helped the team win four AFC Championships and three Super Bowls. In 1998 he finished third in the NFL Defensive Player of the Year voting. That season was also his first of three first-team All-Pro honors. Law received four Pro Bowl invitations. He recorded 36 interceptions for New England, including a league-leading nine in 1998. He returned six of them for touchdowns. Law also excelled in the postseason. He received my vote for Super Bowl 36 MVP when he returned a Kurt Warner pass 47 yards for a touchdown in the Patriots 20-17 win. Ty Law tied with Raymond Clayborn for the most interceptions in franchise history.

4. Andre Tippett (1982-1993)

The franchise’s career leader in sacks was a force to be reckoned with for AFC offenses throughout his career. He recorded 100.0 sacks, a total yet to be approached by any other Patriots defender. Tippett is one of only two players to play his entire career with the Patriots and be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He made five consecutive Pro Bowls from 1984 to 1989. Tippett received first-team All-Pro and second-team All-Pro twice each in that span. Unfortunately, Tippett missed the entire 1990 season due to a preseason injury and never returned to All-Pro form. He has the two highest single-season sack totals in franchise history, led by his 18.5 in 1984. Helped the 1985 Patriots earn the first Super Bowl appearance in franchise history.

3. Rob Gronkowski (2010-2018)

The greatest tight end in NFL history played his first nine seasons as a member of the New England Patriots. He made five Pro Bowl teams. Voters selected him first-team All-Pro four times. He also won NFL Comeback Player of the Year in 2014. No tight end combined receiving and blocking skills as effectively as Gronkowski. He helped the Patriots win five AFC Championships and three Super Bowls during his tenure. He finished with 521 receptions for 7,861 yards and 79 touchdowns. Gronkowski is the franchise’s all-time leader in touchdown receptions. He added another 81 receptions for 1,163 yards and 12 touchdowns in the postseason.

2. John Hannah (1973-1985)

The greatest offensive guard in NFL history played his entire 13-year career in New England. It is tough to do justice for an offensive guard using stats, but his many honors speak volumes. Hannah was a Pro Bowl pick in his final nine seasons in the NFL. He made first-team All-Pro seven times (a record for guards) and was second-team All-Pro another three times. John Hannah was as dominant a run-blocker as the NFL has ever seen, pulling and taking out everything in his path. He retired nearly on top in 1985, having been named first-team All-Pro and playing in Super Bowl 20.

1. Tom Brady (2000-2019)

A no-brainer for the top spot on the list. Tom Brady was arguably the NFL’s best player for two different decades during his time in New England. He won 17 AFC East titles, nine AFC Championships, and six Super Bowls as the New England Patriots starting quarterback. Brady holds every franchise record for quarterbacks, having amassed a 219-64 record in the regular season and 30-11 in the postseason. He won three NFL Most Valuable Player Awards, made 14 Pro Bowl teams, and was first-team All-Pro three times. He added an NFL Comeback Player of the Year, two NFL Offensive Player of the Year Awards, and four Super Bowl MVP trophies. There is a very good reason Tom Brady is known as the GOAT of the New England Patriots and throughout the NFL.