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New England Patriots’ Quarter-Century Team: The Most Impactful Players Since 2000

New England Patriots’ Quarter-Century Team: The Most Impactful Players Since 2000

April 9, 2025 03:08pm

Across the NFL, no team experienced more success in the opening quarter of the 21st century than the New England Patriots, with six Super Bowl championships between 2001 and 2018 and some of the best players in league history suiting up for the franchise during that stretch. With that in mind, BetMassachusetts.com wanted to take a look at which Pats players were the best at their respective positions between 2000 and 2024, utilizing approximate value totals from Pro-Football-Reference.com to come up with our list.

Patriots’ Quarter-Century Offense

Position	Player	Years With Team	Approximate Value During Years
QB	Tom Brady	2000-2019	285
RB	Kevin Faulk	2000-2011	68
WR	Wes Welker	2007-2012	86
WR	Julian Edelman	2009-2020	73
TE	Rob Gronkowski	2010-2018	84
OT	Matt Light	2001-2011	109
G	Logan Mankins	2005-2013	114
C	Dan Koppen	2003-2011	80
G	Steve Neal	2002-2010	50
OT	Sebastian Vollmer	2009-2015	57

While the inclusion of quarterback Tom Brady was of no surprise given the fact that the 15-time Pro Bowler is the NFL’s all-time AV leader (with 326 AV across 335 games with the Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers), the rest of New England’s all-quarter-century team featured a few more surprises. Chief among them was the fact that Kevin Faulk had the most AV of any Patriots running back during that stretch, at 68, putting him 33rd on the franchise’s all-time list in that regard, with James White being the next closest back during that stretch, with an AV total of 42 in 95 games between 2014 and 2021.

Other less surprising members included guard Logan Mankins, who had the second highest AV total behind Brady between 2000 and 2024, at 114, while tackle Matt Light was the only other triple-digit AV earner, at 109.

Other memorable New England stars that made the cut for the team’s all-quarter-century team included wideout Wes Welker, who had 86 AV in 93 games with the club between 2007 and 2012, while tight end Rob Gronkowski (84 AV in 115 games) and center Dan Koppen (80 AV in 121 games) were the next closest Pats’, AV wise.

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Patriots’ Quarter-Century Defense

Position	Player	Years With Team	Approximate Value During Years
DE	Richard Seymour	2001-2008	86
DT	Vince Wilfork	2004-2014	101
DE	Lawrence Guy	2017-2023	62
LB	Dont’a Hightower	2012-2021	76
LB	Tedy Bruschi	2000-2008	72
LB	Mike Vrabel	2001-2008	66
CB	Stephon Gilmore	2017-2020	49
S	Devin McCourty	2010-2022	95
S	Patrick Chung	2009-2019	44
CB	Ty Law	2000-2004	47

Defensively, things weren’t as cut-and-dry for the Pats’ all-quarter-century list, with the leading AV earner being defensive tackle Vince Wilfork, at 101 in 158 games at nose tackle between 2004 and 2014, six ahead of safety Devin McCourty (95 AV between 2010 and 2022) and defensive end Richard Seymour (86 AV between 2001 and 2008).

Of the top defensive players in New England’s recent history, none are currently suiting up for the club, with defensive end Lawrence Guy being the most recent member of the team, having last played for the Patriots in 2023 to cap off career where he earned 62 AV in 110 games.

MORE: MA betting apps.

Patriots’ Quarter-Century Special Teams

Position	Player	Years With Team	Approximate Value During Years
K	Stephen Gostkowski	2006-2019	47
P	Ryan Allen	2013-2018	13

In the specialists game, there were no surprises for the Patriots, with veteran of 219 NFL games Stephen Gostkowski posting the highest AV total, at 47 in a 14-year run with the club that saw him connect on 392 field goals out of 454 attempts.

The four-time Pro Bowl kicker beat out fellow New England legend Adam Vinatieri, who had 33 AV in 160 games played with the Patriots between 1996 and 2005 (and 22 AV between 2000 and 2005).

The best punter for the club during that stretch was eight-year NFL veteran Ryan Allen, who had 13 AV across 96 games with New England between 2013 and 2018, winning three Super Bowls with the club during that stretch.

While Allen’s run with the franchise didn’t spark nearly as many memorable moments as Gostkowski or Vinatieri, the Oregon native found his way onto the Patriots’ all-quarter-century team nonetheless, making the cut as the best punter during that 25-year run in New England.

Also of interest: New England Patriots 2025 NFL Draft Odds; Who Will New England Select At Pick 4?

USA Today photo by Eric Canha.

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Author

Christopher Boan

Christopher Boan has been covering sports and sports betting for more than seven years, including stops at ArizonaSports.com, the Tucson Weekly and the Green Valley News.

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