The Greatest NFL Starting Job Thefts of All Time

GLENDALE, AZ - JANUARY 18: (2nd left) Offensive Coordinator Todd Haley of the Arizona Cardinals and (M) head coach Ken Whisenhunt talks with (R) quarterback Kurt Warner #13 as (L) quarterback Matt Leinart #7 stands behind and watches against the Philadelphia Eagles during the NFC championship game on January 18, 2009 at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) /

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New England Patriots: Tom Brady takes over for Drew Bledsoe

This might be the single-greatest job theft in NFL history. Going into the 2001 season, nobody outside of New England (and Michigan) knew who Tom Brady was. He’d a 6th round pick in 2000 and came into that year as Drew Bledsoe’s backup. Bledsoe was a former Pro Bowler who’d taken the Patriots to a Super Bowl a few years prior. Hopes were he could do so again.

Things didn’t start well. The Patriots lost the opener to Cincinnati and then things went from bad to worse when Bledsoe suffered a vicious shot against the New York Jets that collapsed his lung and sent him to the hospital. This forced Brady into the starting lineup. As the weeks passed, he started to play better and the Patriots started to win.

Before anybody knew it, New England was in the Super Bowl and Brady cemented his place in history with the first of what would be five championships. Bledsoe was traded to Buffalo the next year. To this day people wonder what would’ve happened if not for that hit from Jets linebacker Mo Lewis.

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