New England Patriots Hall of Shame: Worst breakup and more

After celebrating the Patriots by highlighting their players who someday could be enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, we flip the script to give you New England's Hall of Shame.

Worst breakup: Tom Brady 

Getting dumped is never easy, but when it's by the greatest of all time, it hurts even worse knowing you'll never find someone better. Despite winning six Super Bowls and establishing himself as the undisputed "GOAT" in his 20 seasons with New England, Brady had a turbulent ending with the Patriots.

Brady became a free agent for the first time in 2020, and after failing to agree to a multi-year deal with the Patriots, the then-42-year-old bolted for Tampa Bay. It's undeniable that Brady won the breakup, as Tampa Bay beat Kansas City in Super Bowl LV with the help of fellow former Patriots Rob Gronkowski and Antonio Brown.

Meanwhile, the Patriots have failed to make the playoffs twice without Brady, and their lone postseason appearance resulted in a 47-17 loss to division rival Buffalo. 

Although their relationship ended abruptly, the Patriots intend to honor Brady before their season-opening matchup against Philadelphia in what the team is dubbing the "Thank You Tom Game."

Worst draft pick: DE Kenneth Sims

New England selected the Texas defensive end with the No. 1 overall pick in 1982, and due to the league's midseason strike, he played in nine games, recording three sacks. Nevertheless, his performance was enough to finish fourth in the Defensive Rookie of the Year voting.

As time passed, Sims failed to build on his rookie season. He played in just five games in 1983 and didn't record a sack before fracturing his fibula. In 1984, Sims played in all 16 games, the only season he completed without injury.

Sims' most productive season came in 1985, when he racked up 5.5 sacks in 13 games and played a key role in New England's run to Super Bowl XX. 

Over the next four seasons, Sims played just 31 games, and in 1990, he was arrested and charged with possession of cocaine, leading to his release. Sims signed with Buffalo in 1992 but didn't make the team out of camp and never played again, finishing his eight-year career with 17 sacks. 

Worst free-agent signing: LB Adalius Thomas

The Patriots have executed countless savvy moves during HC Bill Belichick's 23-year tenure, but signing Thomas was not one of them.

After recording a career-high 11 sacks and earning a First-Team All-Pro selection in 2006, New England signed the former Baltimore linebacker to a five-year, $35 million contract. At the time, it was the largest free-agent signing in franchise history, and while Thomas was productive in 2007, he soon proved he wasn't worth the cost.

Thomas appeared in nine games during the 2008 season, leading the team in sacks (five), before suffering a season-ending arm injury. He never was the same player when he returned. He had just one sack across the team's first five games the following season, prompting Belichick to bench him, which marked the beginning of his falling out with the team.

Later that season, a snowstorm caused Thomas to be late for a team meeting, so New England sent him home and deactivated him for its upcoming game against Carolina. Thomas finished the season with three sacks in 14 games before being released during the offseason and never played another down in the NFL. 

Worst loss: Super Bowl XLII, Feb. 3, 2008

No surprise here. The 2007 Patriots will live on as the greatest team that didn't win the Super Bowl, having blown their opportunity to complete the first 19-0 season.

With the offseason addition of wideout Randy Moss, New England breezed through the regular season, with the ex-Raider catching an NFL-record 23 touchdown passes and Brady throwing for a then-record 50 touchdowns. 

The Patriots carried their strong play into the playoffs. They handily defeated the Jaguars and Chargers before facing the Giants in a rematch of their Week 17 encounter. With 2:42 left, Brady found Moss for the go-ahead touchdown and a 14-10 Patriots lead. New England was just over a minute away from winning its fourth Super Bowl in franchise history until Eli Manning connected with David Tyree on the iconic "helmet catch."

The Giants continued to march down the field, and Plaxico Burress recorded the winning touchdown catch with 35 seconds remaining.