The legend that Tom Brady became in the NFL places him not only as one of the best - if not the greatest - quarterbacks ever but among the top athletes in history as well. His talent was proved once again in the 2020 season when the 43-year-old lead the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to an unforgettable Super Bowl triumph over Patrick Mahomes' Kansas City Chiefs at the Raymond James Stadium. 

Being drafted at the 2000 NFL Draft's sixth round with the 199th pick, he overcame all odds and became a football superstar. He built a dynasty with the New England Patriots under Bill Belichick's guidance, where he amassed impressive records of passing yards, touchdown passes, and claimed multiple rings. 

After 19 years with the Foxborough franchise where he found success, his move to Tampa Bay paid off from the very first season, with a result that only a few people expected. After such a lengthy playing career, Brady picked up impressive recognitions, such as being named the league's MVP. How many times? Let's break it down.

The NFL MVP awards earned by Brady

Tom Brady was selected as the Most Valuable Player in the NFL three times. The first one was in 2007 when Patriots finished the regular season undefeated but hurtfully lost in Super Bowl XLII against New York Giants. However, that year Brady threw his most passing touchdowns in a season, and even though his team couldn't claim the ring, it was highly praised for its performance.

Three years later, TB12 was named the 2010 NFL MVP. Once again, he earned it in a season in which New England weren't crowned, but he deservedly won the prize after finishing the regular season with 335 successive passes without a single interception.

The latest MVP award he received was in 2017, yet again in a year in which the Patriots failed to win the ring. They lost against the Philadelphia Eagles in a highly-remembered Super Bowl LII, but Brady's season was great up to that moment. He threw 4,577 yards, completed 32 touchdowns, and got only eight interceptions.

With all the rings Tom Brady has claimed in his career, it may seem strange that he only received three times the MVP of the season award. Moreover, it's even crazier that he didn't collect it once in all the championship seasons. However, Brady had better recognition in Super Bowls.

Brady's collection of Super Bowl MVP recognitions

Tom Brady was named the Super Bowl Most Valuable Player five times instead. First in Super Bowl XXXVI, which was the initial success of what turned to be a Patriots dynasty. The second one came two years later in SB XXXVIII after Bill Belichick's team claimed the second title in franchise history.

He had to wait a long time for the third one, which happened in Super Bowl XLIX. Brady completed 37 passes out of 50 attempts, for 328 yards, four TD, and two INTs. Two years later, at 39, he broke that record in the historic Super Bowl LI, in which the Patriots turned around a 3-28 deficit in an epic comeback win. 

Despite that result turned him in the oldest player to receive the SB MVP award, TB12 himself improved that mark with the Buccaneers in 2020. In Tampa's victory in Super Bowl LV, Tom Brady became the oldest player to be named the MVP, the first one to win it for the fifth time, and the only one who won it with different teams