The most iconic photos of Tom Brady's career

It seems like just yesterday that second-year quarterback Tom Brady stepped in for an injured Drew Bledsoe to lead the New England Patriots to postseason success in the early 2000s.

Today -- 15 years and four Super Bowl championships removed from his inaugural NFL campaign -- Brady turns 38. And his special day comes at a time where the quarterback is having no trouble grabbing headlines.

We learned last week that Brady will miss the first four games of the NFL season for his involvement in the Deflategate scandal. Brady's camp has since indicated that they'll be taking the case to federal court -- a process that is sure to drag on for an extended period of time.

But instead of focusing on deflating Brady news of 2015, take a few moments to click through the gallery above, highlighting the future Hall of Famer's most memorable moments.

As a sidenote, we just hope that Brady spends his big day having as much fun as he did in the video below.