The award for the most understated flip side story goes to the 2000 Upper Deck Exclusives Gold Tom Brady Rookie. It states that “Brady seems to step up his play a notch in big games.” Slightly. In high school, Brady was a third-string quarterback. His chances of getting into the game were slim, so he played linebacker to showcase his skills. He eventually earned a spot and recognition as a rising star in the Bay area. His early struggles for respect provide insight into his motivation to exceed expectations.
At Michigan, he was a seventh-string quarterback. He collected pine for two seasons while Brian Griese led the team. How uncertain was Brady’s future? He had a summer internship at Merrill Lynch as a backup plan. His former boss said that he used to complain that people were not working hard enough. His boss said he wanted to learn the business and research everything. Those qualities will sound familiar to Brady’s former teammates.
And, of course, Brady was the fourth string quarterback behind Drew Bledsoe, John Friesz, and Michael Bishop when he joined the Pats. But not for long. He soon landed an opportunity to show fans that he would indeed deliver in the big games.
Found in 2000 Upper Deck Football hobby boxes, this Exclusives Gold parallel is numbered /25, making it one of his rarest rookies.
This NM-MT PSA 8 is a pop 1 in the company's registry with none ranking higher.
The certification number on this card has been checked against the third-party grader's online database and is active as of 06/10/2026.
This item was flash inserted on Jun 5, 2026.
