Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady. Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports

Tom Brady could break two single-season records Sunday vs. Falcons

By Mike Santa Barbara | Last updated 1/4/23

By Tom Brady's standards, 2022 won't go down as one of the better seasons of his illustrious Hall of Fame career. Nevertheless, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback will likely break two single-season NFL records in Sunday's season-finale against the Atlanta Falcons.

Brady will almost assuredly walk off the field at Mercedes-Benz Stadium having secured the NFL mark for pass attempts in a season.

Entering Sunday's contest with 716 completions, Brady is only 12 away from topping Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford, who set the record with 727 completions in 2012 while with the Detroit Lions. Brady came close in 2021 to breaking the benchmark set by Stafford, finishing with a career-high 719 attempts over 17 games.

Tom Brady is 12 pass attempts away from becoming the single season leader in that category.

Matt Stafford is 1st with 727 attempts in 2012. TB12 currently has 716.

Additionally, he's 9 completions away from breaking his own record for most in a szn which was set last yr at 485
— Babz (@BabzOnTheMic) January 4, 2023

Brady is also on pace to break a record he already owns. If Brady completes at least nine passes on Sunday, he'll break the record of 485, which he set with the Bucs last season.

The Buccaneers clinched the NFC South title last week after a 30-24 win over the Carolina Panthers. The victory helped the Buccaneers secure the No. 4 seed and a home playoff game in the opening round of the playoffs. With nothing to be gained from this Sunday's result, head coach Todd Bowles told Rock Riley of the Tampa Bay Free Press on Wednesday that Brady would start, but the Buccaneers would rotate quarterbacks against the Falcons. So, it's unclear how much Brady will actually play.

Bucs coach Todd Bowles says he plans to play all his starters Sunday against the Falcons, including Tom Brady and the offensive line. He says they have things to work on.
— Rick Stroud (@NFLSTROUD) January 2, 2023

Short of a Super Bowl victory, we're likely witnessing the final days of Brady in a Buccaneers' uniform, as the 45-year-old can opt for free agency at the end of the season.

Former general manager Mike Lombardi said Brady is "probably not back in Tampa Bay next year" while appearing on VSiN's "The Wrap" in December. Early speculation has Brady linked to the Las Vegas Raiders as a possible replacement for the recently exiled Derek Carr.

NFL.com's Gregg Rosenthal has Brady ranked as the third-best quarterback available this offseason on the free-agent market, behind Geno Smith of the Seattle Seahawks and Lamar Jackson of the Baltimore Ravens.

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