Most NFL teams go through starting quarterbacks the way some people go through tissues and hand sanitizer during a global pandemic.
Excuse the attempt to bring a little levity to the seriousness of the situation we're all facing right now, but the fact remains: While the Patriots have been blessed with almost a full two decades with consistency at the quarterback position, most other teams have tried... and tried... and tried some more to find a reliable long-term answer at the game's most important position.
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The enormous difference between the Patriots and the rest of the league will probably amaze you. Just check out the details, thanks to Spotrac on Twitter.
That's four starting quarterbacks for the Patriots in the Brady era (Brady, Matt Cassel, Jimmy Garoppolo, and Jacoby Brissett), and a total of 449 starting quarterbacks for the rest of the league.
Sure, that number counts quarterbacks who started for several teams multiple times, but that's an average of over 14 (!!) starters for each of the other 31 clubs.
New England Patriots
Only the Chargers (3 — Philip Rivers, Drew Brees, Doug Flutie) have used fewer quarterbacks than the Patriots during the Brady era, while the Browns have used 26 different starters since Brady took over in New England.
As for Brady's new team, the Buccaneers, they've run through 15 different starting quarterbacks over that stretch of time, and only three of those started more than two seasons' worth of games: Jameis Winston (70), Josh Freeman (59), and Brad Johnson (49).