RSSDrew Bledsoe Retires after 14 years
Apr 12
Drew Bledsoe’s 14-year career comes to an end with his retirement as a quarterback for the National Football League. Bledsoe was drafted overall No. 1 by the New England Patriots in 1993 and played for the Pats right up until he was supplanted by Tom Brady in the Patriot’s 2001 Super Bowl season. The rise of Tom Brady was inexorable (and hard to argue, in hindsight) and Bledsoe went on to play in Buffalo and Dallas, but rarely had a moment when his role as a starter wasn’t under scrutiny.
In 2006, Bledsoe was replaced after six games as starter for Dallas by Tony Romo -- another rising star. Romo led Dallas to a 6-4 record as starter and the team finished with an overall 9-7 record before being bounced out of the playoffs by Seattle in the Wild Card round.
Bledsoe reportedly fielded offers to be a back-up quarterback in either Cincinnati or Seattle for 2007, but wasn’t interested in anything but a starter’s role (ah the ego of NFL quarterbacks.) He does have a Super Bowl ring to his credit (the 2001 Patriots) and was integral in the Patriots making it to the Super Bowl when he came in as relief for Tom Brady in the AFC title game, but he never regained his role as starter in New England. His time spent with Buffalo was wasted on a mediocre team, and Dallas was only marginally better even with the addition of Terrell Owens during the 2006 season.
