Chad Pennington. Giovanni Carmazzi. Chris Redman. Tee Martin. Marc Bulger. Spergon Wynn. Through no fault of their own, these six individuals are forever linked in NFL history. We call them the Brady Six.
They are all former NFL QBs who were drafted ahead of Tom Brady in the 2000 NFL Draft.
And, yes, we know what you’re thinking: “Who or what is a ‘Spergon Wynn’?”
We wondered, too. In fact, while Bulger and Pennington had decent professional careers, the six QBs combined can’t come close to measuring up to Brady, who, at age 42, is still going strong after 20 seasons in the league. The numbers don’t lie: The six QBs drafted before Brady combined for 44,470 passing yards and 246 TDs. Brady himself has totaled 74,571 passing yards and 541 TDs.
Here’s a look at the QBs chosen ahead of Brady in 2000:
CHAD PENNINGTON: The 2000 NFL Draft’s lone first-round QB selection (#18 overall), Pennington had a solid 11-year career with the New York Jets and Miami Dolphins. In 2008, he finished second to Peyton Manning in league MVP voting. Injuries curtailed his career, however, and Pennington retired after his fourth shoulder surgery. His career numbers included 17,823 passing yards and 102 TDs. He is presently an NFL Legends Community Co-Executive Director as well as a high school head football coach in Kentucky.
GIOVANNI CARMAZZI: Let’s start with the fact that Brady was a Bay Area native and grew up an avid San Francisco 49ers fan. So he was pretty disappointed when the Niners passed on drafting him. Instead, they selected Carmazzi in Round 3. The record-setting Hofstra QB wound up never playing a down in the NFL. Former 49ers head coach Steve Mariucci later explained that the organization felt Carmazzi was a better athlete who could be molded into the team’s offensive system. While Brady is today regarded as the G.O.A.T., Carmazzi became a goat farmer (we kid you not).
CHRIS REDMAN: Before the Louisville Cardinals had Teddy Bridgewater and Lamar Jackson, they had Redman. The blue-chip recruit had a record-setting career at the school before being drafted in the third round by the Baltimore Ravens. The Ravens would go on to win Super Bowl XXXV that season, with Redman serving as a backup to Trent Dilfer and Tony Banks. Unfortunately, Redman never got his footing as an NFL QB. He only played in 31 games, starting 12. He was released by the Atlanta Falcons in 2011 and is currently a business development manager and spokesman for Game On Mouthguards.
TEE MARTIN: As college careers go, Tamaurice “Tee” Martin had it all over Brady. The former backup to Peyton Manning led the Tennessee Volunteers to the national championship in 1998, his junior season. Alas, his NFL career wasn’t nearly as successful. After being drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the fifth round (No. 163 overall), Martin would only play three NFL games. In fact, his only logged stats came with the Oakland Raiders in 2003, when he completed 6 passes for 69 yards. He also played in the CFL and NFL Europe. Martin has since become a top assistant coach in the college ranks and is now back in Knoxville as the Volunteers’ receivers coach.
MARC BULGER: Of the Brady Six, Bulger had the most NFL success. He was a two-time Pro Bowl selection for the then-St. Louis Rams. He started 95 games for the franchise, throwing for 22,814 yards and 122 TDs. He reached 1,000 career completions faster than any QB in league history. His play began to steadily deteriorate, however, and he hit rock-bottom in 2009, when the Rams went 1-15. Interesting note: Bulger was drafted by the New Orleans Saints (Round 6, Pick 168) and also was on the rosters of the Atlanta Falcons and Baltimore Ravens, but never played a down for any of those teams. He retired in 2011 and has since picked up the sport of curling.
SPERGON WYNN: Wynn played his college ball at Southwest Texas State University (now Texas State) and was selected by the Cleveland Browns in the sixth round (No. 183 overall, 16 spots ahead of Brady). He saw action in seven games during his rookie campaign, including a start against the Jacksonville Jaguars. The following season, Wynn was traded to the Minnesota Vikings, where he would toss the only TD of his career. Following that year, he spent the next four years bouncing around the CFL, with stints with the BC Lions, Winnipeg Blue Bombers and Toronto Argonauts. Wynn is now an energy broker in Houston, Texas.
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