Tom Brady surpasses Drew Brees to become NFL’s all-time leading passer

7:55 PM ET

Tory BarronESPN Editor
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FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — We’re not saying Tom Brady purposely waited until his highly anticipated return to Gillette Stadium to become the NFL’s all-time leading passer so he could further torment his former team, but the timing does feel suspicious.

Brady — who won six Super Bowl titles over 20 seasons with the New England Patriots before departing to join the Tampa Bay Buccaneers — entered Sunday night’s game with 80,291 career passing yards, 68 yards shy of passing former New Orleans Saints QB Drew Brees for the No. 1 spot.

The task proved to be a short order for TB12. The 44-year-old wasted no time erasing his deficit to Brees, as he achieved the mark with six minutes remaining in the first quarter. If the mere presence of the Patriots’ prodigal son in Foxborough, Massachusetts, wasn’t enough to get the people going (spoiler: it was), the legendary quarterback reaching the milestone surely did the trick.

.@TomBrady is now the all-time passing yards leader! #TheReturn
📺: #TBvsNE on NBC
📱: https://t.co/50pf7DlJse pic.twitter.com/p7nLvNJ1ru
— NFL (@NFL) October 4, 2021

Will the long-awaited reunion go the Patriot Way, or the Brady way?

Brady is AMPED UP in Foxborough ⚡
(via @NFL) pic.twitter.com/x5hwTR6U0e
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) October 3, 2021

As fired up as Brady was running out onto the field for the first time since taking his talents to Tampa Bay, the crowd matched his energy — and then some, as booming “Brady!” chants enveloped the stadium.