You don’t win six Super Bowls without a lot of great players. Just ask the New England Patriots.
Now, many of those greats were with the organization over a two-decade span in the franchise’s 65 seasons. But those greats helped the Patriots quickly become one of the league’s premier franchises, tying a record for the most Super Bowl wins ever and holding the record for most Super Bowl appearances (11).
Of those greats, there were a few that established themselves as better players than the rest of the group. So, let’s take a look at the 10 best players in Patriots history.
10. Stanley Morgan (1977-1989)
Morgan was an integral part of the successful seasons the Patriots had in the 1980s, emerging as one of the most explosive players in NFL history after they took him with their first-round pick in the 1977 draft. The four-time Pro Bowler and two-time second-team All-Pro’s 19.2 yards per reception are the most ever in NFL history for a receiver with at least 500 receptions. His 10,352 receiving yards are also the most in Patriots history. Morgan hasn’t been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, but was enshrined in the team’s Hall of Fame in 2007.
9. Vince Wilfork (2004-2014)
Wilfork was at the center of some of the peak years of the Patriots’ dynasty run. Playing nose tackle, Wilfork never put up incredible stats as he never recorded four sacks in a season and only had 60-plus tackles once. But Bill Belichick once noted that Wilfork was “impossible to block in the running game” as New England often had some of the league’s best defenses during his 11 years there. That helped the Patriots win two Super Bowls and play in two more as Wilfork was a five-time Pro Bowler and a four-time All-Pro (one first-team).
8. Logan Mankins (2005-2013)
There were many great players who played in New England during the Patriots’ dynasty run, but not all of them were fortunate enough to win a Super Bowl. Mankins’ time in New England perfectly aligned with the 10-year drought that the Patriots had between Super Bowls, getting drafted right after their third win in 2004 and traded weeks before their title-winning season in 2014. But Mankins was consistently among the league’s best offensive linemen during his time in Foxborough, earning seven Pro Bowl and six All-Pro (one first-team) nods. Mankins’ inability to win a Super Bowl also wasn’t due to a lack of him trying. He played the entire 2011 season with an ACL tear, which ended in a Super Bowl loss.
7. Richard Seymour (2001-2008)
Seymour’s arrival in New England helped round out a talented defense in its 2001 Super Bowl-winning season before becoming a vital player in their next two Super Bowl titles. He finished second in the Defensive Player of the Year vote in 2003, recording eight sacks and 56 total tackles as an interior defensive lineman that year. He had five sacks when the Patriots won it all again in 2004. Over his Patriots career, he was named a Pro Bowler five times and an All-Pro on four occasions (three first-team). Those accolades plus his role on three Super Bowl-winning teams helped Seymour get named a Hall of Famer in 2022.
6. Ty Law (1995-2004)
While Seymour commanded the defensive line during the Patriots’ first three Super Bowls, Law was a nightmare matchup for opponents in the secondary. He actually helped the Patriots reach the Super Bowl in his second season in 1996, recording three interceptions that season. Two years later, he had a league-leading nine interceptions to finish third in the Defensive Player of the Year vote. He recorded arguably the best defensive play in franchise history when he returned an interception for a touchdown in their Super Bowl XXXVI win over the Rams, which was one of three pick-sixes he had that year. He had six interceptions in their second Super Bowl-winning season in 2003 and added three more when he picked off Peyton Manning three times in the AFC Championship Game that year. Law’s performances in big games helped him enter the Hall of Fame in 2019.
5. Andre Tippett (1982-1993)
Over a decade before Seymour was doing damage as a pass rusher for the Patriots, Tippett did the same in New England. He was one of the NFL’s best pass rushers in the 1980s, recording at least 12.5 sacks in three seasons. His emergence helped the Patriots reach the Super Bowl in 1985, recording 16.5 sacks that year. He was named a Pro Bowler five times and an All-Pro four times (three first-team), which earned him a spot in the Hall of Fame in 2008.
4. Mike Haynes (1976-1982)
Law followed in the footsteps of Haynes in New England. Haynes began the lineage of great cornerbacks to play with the Patriots right after the team drafted him in 1976, instantly becoming one of the best players at his position. He won Defensive Rookie of the Year, recording a career-high eight interceptions that season. He was also named a Pro Bowler and an All-Pro in all but one of his seven seasons in New England, which ended when the team opted to trade him to the Raiders in 1983. Haynes continued to play great with the Raiders, which helped him become a Hall of Famer in 1997.
Three players who were arguably the best at their respective positions played the majority of their careers with the Patriots. Gronkowski made his case as the best tight end in NFL history during his nine seasons with the Patriots, winning three Super Bowls and earning five Pro Bowl nods. His 2011 season was arguably the best ever for a tight end, recording 90 receptions for 1,327 yards and 17 touchdowns that year. The 79 touchdown receptions he had in his New England career would’ve been the sixth-most all-time. His 12 playoff touchdown receptions with the Patriots would also be tied for the third most in NFL history, regardless of position.
2. John Hannah (1973-1985)
Often regarded as the best guard in NFL history by many analysts, Hannah was a nine-time Pro Bowler and a 10-time All-Pro (seven first-team) during his illustrious career. He actually earned each All-Pro honor over the final 10 seasons of his career, helping the Patriots become a playoff team in the late 1970s before reaching his first Super Bowl in his final season. In between those feats, Sports Illustrated named Hannah the “best offensive lineman of all-time” as he graced the cover of an edition of its magazine.
There couldn’t have been anyone else who was No. 1. Brady’s resume speaks for itself, winning six Super Bowls and three MVPs during his time with the Patriots. His insertion as the team’s starting quarterback in 2001 immediately changed the course of not just the team’s history, but also football history. New England, which was often one of the league’s laughingstocks in its first 40-plus seasons of existence, became a dynasty in just four seasons with Brady as its starting quarterback. He, alongside Bill Belichick, helped redefine success in the NFL as their six Super Bowls helped the Patriots match the Steelers for the most ever by a single franchise in just 18 seasons.
HONORABLE MENTIONS
Bruce Armstrong
Teddy Bruschi
Wes Welker
Julian Edelman
Adam Vinatieri
Willie McGinest
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