You know that feeling when you see a photo of a global superstar and realize they’re actually kind of a dork? That’s basically the entire subgenre of tom brady funny photos.
For two decades, Tom Brady was this robotic, kale-eating, Super Bowl-winning machine. He was the guy who didn't eat tomatoes because of "inflammation" and went to bed at 8:30 PM. But every once in a while, the mask slipped. Sometimes it was a botched courtroom sketch, and other times it was just too much "avocado tequila" at a boat parade.
These images are more than just memes; they’re the only thing that makes the seven-time champion relatable to the rest of us who can't throw a spiral to save our lives.
The NFL Combine Photo: Where It All Started
Honestly, if you haven’t seen the 2000 NFL Combine photo, have you even been on the internet?
It’s the holy grail of tom brady funny photos.
In it, a 22-year-old Brady stands against a generic blue background, shirtless, wearing baggy gray shorts that look like they were stolen from a middle school gym locker. He looks less like a future Hall of Famer and more like a guy who’s about to ask if he can borrow your lawnmower.
Why this photo still goes viral every February
- The Physique: He was famously described in scouting reports as "lanky" and "lacking a strong arm."
- The Poster Child for Underdogs: It’s used every year to remind draft prospects that their "build" doesn't define their destiny.
- The Self-Deprecation: Brady himself has joked about it, recently telling the Dude Perfect podcast that he "wants to kill the NFL social media manager" for posting it every year.
He actually ran a 5.28-second 40-yard dash that day. For context, some offensive linemen run faster than that. It’s the ultimate "before" photo in a "before and after" story that lasted 23 seasons.
The Courtroom Sketch That Broke the Internet
Fast forward to 2015. Deflategate was the only thing anyone in New England or Indianapolis talked about for six months.
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When Brady finally showed up to a federal court in Manhattan, the world expected a high-stakes legal drama. Instead, we got a drawing by artist Jane Rosenberg that made Tom Brady look like he was melting.
The sketch was... a choice.
It didn't look like the man who married Gisele Bündchen. It looked like a mix between the Hunchback of Notre Dame and a character from The Addams Family.
The internet, being the "dark and full of savages" place that it is (as Sports Illustrated aptly put it), went into a Photoshop frenzy. People put the "Melty Brady" face on the Mona Lisa, on E.T., and even on the "Beast Jesus" botched fresco restoration.
Rosenberg ended up apologizing, saying she was under immense pressure to work fast. Brady, ever the professional, never publicly bashed her, but the photo remains a top-tier entry in the "unintentionally hilarious" Hall of Fame.
"Avocado Tequila" and the Boat Parade
If the Combine photo showed a young, unpolished Brady, the 2021 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Super Bowl parade showed us "Drunk Tom."
And honestly? It was the best version.
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After winning his seventh ring, Brady celebrated on a multi-million dollar boat in the Florida sun. The resulting tom brady funny photos and videos are legendary.
The Highlights of the Chaos
- The Trophy Toss: Brady literally threw the Lombardi Trophy across open water to Rob Gronkowski’s boat. If that thing had sunk, it would have been the most expensive "oops" in sports history.
- The "Sea Legs": A video captured Brady being escorted off the boat because he could barely walk. He looked like a college freshman after their first tailgate.
- The Tweet: He later tweeted, "Nothing to see here... just a little avocado tequila," which basically became an instant brand for him.
It was the first time fans saw him truly let loose. The TB12 method clearly doesn't account for the effects of tequila on a 43-year-old brain.
High Fashion or High Comedy? The Met Gala Years
You can’t talk about funny Brady photos without mentioning his forays into high fashion.
When you’re married to a supermodel, you end up at the Met Gala. And when you’re at the Met Gala, you wear things that make people on Twitter say, "Wait, what?"
In 2018, Brady wore a black Versace suit with gold-embroidered lapels and a black turtleneck. The "Bond Villain" comparisons were immediate. People said he looked like a Vegas magician or a "dragon slayer."
Mina Kimes famously tweeted that he looked like he was about to ask a room to "believe in the power of magic."
Then there was the 2017 "man bun" phase and the various "dad fashion" moments captured by paparazzi. Whether he’s wearing a giant trench coat or a suit that costs more than a Toyota Camry, Brady always seems just a little bit out of place in the fashion world, which makes the photos even better.
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The ManningCast and the "Losing Face"
Lately, the funniest photos of Brady come from his appearances on the ManningCast or his own social media feuds with Eli Manning.
There’s a specific face Brady makes when Eli mentions the 2007 Giants—a mix of genuine pain and "I can't believe I'm still talking about this."
Even in retirement, the "retired dad" photos are gold. He recently posted a shirtless fishing photo where Eli Manning chirped him in the comments about the size of his "minnow."
What We Can Learn From the GOAT’s Memes
Basically, the lesson here is that nobody is immune to a bad angle or a weird day.
If a guy who has won seven Super Bowls and is worth hundreds of millions of dollars can survive a photo where he looks like a "melted Picasso," you can survive your awkward LinkedIn headshot.
The most "human" moments of Tom Brady's career didn't happen on the field. They happened when he was wobbling off a boat or standing in baggy shorts in an Indianapolis gym.
Next Steps for Brady Fans:
- Check out the NFL's official archive of the 2000 Combine to see just how much he's changed physically over the decades.
- If you're looking for a laugh, search for the #DeflateGateSketch hashtag on X (formerly Twitter) to see the original Photoshop battles from 2015.
- Watch the 2021 Bucs Boat Parade highlights on YouTube—it's still the gold standard for "celebrating like a champion."