Being Tom Brady’s backup has been no path to success

Years with Brady: 1 (2003)

Foxboro era: Not all sixth-round quarterbacks are made equal. Kingsbury was drafted there in 2003, but was placed on the IR with an arm injury and released a season later.

Life after: Following stops with the Saints and the Jets, Kingsbury went to the CFL. He is now the head coach at Texas Tech University.

Starts post-Foxboro: 0

Damon Huard

Years with Brady: 3 (2001-03)

Foxboro era: Huard, along with Michael Bishop, was one of the quarterbacks that Brady beat out to become Drew Bledsoe’s backup prior the 2001 season. Huard was one of the most formidable Brady backups and garnered locker room acclaim for his scout-team imitation Peyton Manning prior to the 2003 AFC Championship Game.

Life after: Huard signed in Kansas City as a free agent and spent the next five seasons there. He was thrust into a starting role when Trent Green was injured in 2006, and started games in three straight seasons.

Starts post-Foxboro: 21 (10-11)

Jim Miller

Years with Brady: 1 (2004)

Foxboro era: After a decade in the NFL, the Patriots were Miller’s seventh team. He collected a championship ring when the Pats knocked off the Eagles in Super Bowl XXXIX. Miller ushered in an era where Bill Belichick utilized veteran backups.

Life after: Miller signed with the Giants, but didn’t make it to the 2005 regular season, parting ways with an injury settlement.

Starts post-Foxboro: 0

Doug Flutie

Years with Brady: 1 (2005)

Foxboro era: Flutie’s most memorable Patriots moment came when Belichick allowed him to drop-kick an extra point. The PAT earned him AFC Special Teams Player of the Week honors, and it was the first converted dropkick since 1941.

Life after: The Patriots were the last stop for the Heisman Trophy winner, who has since made his way into the broadcast booth as a college football analyst.

Starts post-Foxboro: 0

Vinny Testavderde

Years with Brady: 1 (2006)

Foxboro era: Another aging quarterback nearing the end of his career, Belichick brought the journeyman in midway though the 2006 season. In the last game of the regular season, Testaverde hit Troy Brown for a touchdown pass, extending his streak to 20 consecutive seasons with a TD toss. They re-signed him in 2007, but he was cut at the end of the preseason.

Life after: Following injuries to quarterbacks Jake Delhomme and David Carr, the Panthers came calling and Testaverde made six starts in 2007, hisfinal season.

Starts post-Foxboro: 6 (2-4)

Matt Cassel

Years with Brady: 4 (2005-08)

Foxboro era: Brady’s only backup to see significant snaps in Foxboro, Cassel parlayed his opportunity into a significant payday. When Brady tore his ACL in the 2008 opener, Cassel led the Patriots to an 11-5 record.

Life after: Belichick dealt him to the Kansas City with Mike Vrabel after the 2008 season, where Cassel inked a 6-year, $62.7 million contract. He made a Pro Bowl appearance, but was released four years into his deal. Since, he’s had stops in Minnesota, Buffalo, Dallas and he’s now a Tennessee Titan.

Starts post-Foxboro: 64 (25-39)

Matt Gutierrez

Years with Brady: 2 (2007-08)

Foxboro era: Gutierrez made the Pats as an undrafted free agent out of Idaho State in 2007, and spent two seasons in Foxboro before being released.

Life after: He had offseason stops in Chicago, Washington and St. Louis, but never made a regular season roster again.

Starts post-Foxboro: 0

Kevin O’Connell

Years with Brady: 1

Foxboro era: One of the most disappointing selections of the Belichick era, O’Connell was a third-round pick in 2008 that was cut after one season with the team.

Life after: He was picked up by the Lions, then traded to the Jets, where Rex Ryan made him an honorary captain for a September game against the Pats. He bounced around the league until 2012 and is now a coach for the 49ers.

Starts post-Foxboro: 0

Brian Hoyer

Years with Brady: 3 (2009-11)

Foxboro era: An undrafted free agent out of Michigan State, Hoyer beat out three other quarterbacks in the summer of 2009 to earn the job as Brady’s lone backup. Hoyer didn’t see the field much during his three seasons in Foxboro, but made his mark in the locker room, as he beat Brady regularly in their post-practice bucket game.

Life after: The only Brady backup with a winning record after leaving Foxboro, Hoyer had to fight for his second chance. Following his release in August 2012, Hoyer was out of football for three months. After stops in Pittsburgh and Arizona, he was finally given a chance to be a regular starter in Cleveland, where he went 10-6 over two seasons. He spent a year in Houston, and is now a Chicago Bear.

Starts post-Foxboro: 26 (15-11)

Ryan Mallett

Years with Brady: 3 (2011-13)

Foxboro era: The Pats selected Mallett in the third round in 2011 draft. After a season as the third-stringer, he beat out Hoyer for the backup job. Rookie Jimmy Garoppolo made Mallett expendable prior to the 2014 season, and he was dealt to the Texans.

Life after: Mallett had been tagged with red flags prior to his draft, and while nothing surfaced during his time with the Patriots, the quarterback had a messy divorce with the Texans. After losing the starting job in 2015, Mallett didn’t show up at practice. Later in the season he missed a team flight, and was released a day later. He signed with the Ravens, where he enters this season as Joe Flacco’s backup.

Starts post-Foxboro: 8 (3-5)