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Offensive tackle played 68 NFL games with Pats
Published Feb 04, 2026 • Last updated 1 hour ago • 4 minute read
Brantford’s Nick Kaczur played 68 games for the New England Patriots from 2005 to 2009. Photo by Getty ImagesArticle content
Surrounded by Buffalo Bills fans at home in Brantford, former NFLer Nick Kaczur refuses to switch his allegiance.
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With the New England Patriots set to face the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday in Super Bowl LX at 6:30 p.m., Kaczur will be hoping his former team can overcome its underdog status and secure the Vince Lombardi Trophy.
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“To be honest, I want New England to win but Seattle’s defence is tough,” said Kaczur, who played only for the Patriots during his NFL career, which spanned from 2005 to 2009.
“(The Patriots) have a young guy at left tackle, (Will) Campbell, he seemed to give up a couple pressures and things in the last couple of weeks.
“It’s really going to depend on how the o-line can handle that defensive front. That’s going to dictate where the game is going to go.”
After graduating from Brantford Collegiate Institute, Kaczur had a standout NCAA career at the University of Toledo. A tackle, he was selected in the third round (100th overall) of the 2005 NFL draft by New England.
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During his career, Kaczur started 62 games and played in 68. The six-foot-four, 320-pound lineman was a starter on New England’s 2007 team that went undefeated before losing to the New York Giants in the Super Bowl.
The 46-year-old suffered a back injury during training camp in 2010 and was placed on injured reserve. Kaczur was released by the Patriots in 2011 and retired – at least from football.
Quiet and humble, Kaczur worked construction prior to attending Toledo. When he returned to Brantford after his playing days, he went back to work and is currently a member of the excavating crew at Lancaster Construction.
Unfortunately when Sundays roll around, Kaczur is surrounded by Buffalo Bills fans. Thankfully for him, New England’s franchise reversal has helped when it comes to betting his buddies.
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“All my friends are Buffalo Bills fans, my brother is a Buffalo Bills fan so since I moved back I’ve always bet them for a case of beer – and I’m finally winning again,” said Kaczur, who watched the AFC champion Patriots go from a record of 4-13 last year to 14-3 this season.
“I’m finally getting paid back.”
Although he’s far from Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, he still keeps an eye on New England. He sees similarities between this year’s Patriots team and the ones he played on – with its grit, determination and great defence.
Kaczur likes what he’s seen from second-year quarterback Drake Maye.
“Maye can run the ball, there’s the first thing that’s different between them,” he said about one difference between Maye and Tom Brady, who Kaczur protected for his entire career.
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“I don’t know him personally but it seems like the team dynamic, from what I read, as a quarterback he’s good to the o-line. That helps make the offensive unit closer.”
With Maye just starting his career, it’s impossible for anyone to compare him to Brady. For Kaczur, he hasn’t seen anyone better than his former quarterback, who won seven Super Bowl titles during his career.
“Brady was great,” said Kaczur, who along with his daughters, Auralia and Ashlyn, attended the quarterback’s 2024 induction into the Patriots Hall of Fame.
“He understood the game and he knew what people were doing before they were doing it. He knew how to exploit everything, which is very hard.
“There’s some talented players who make really good plays and obviously Tom was talented but it was his knowledge of what was happening, the Xs and Os. He just put everybody in the right spot.
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“He’s the GOAT.”
Brantford’s Nick Kaczur (77) protected Tom Brady (12) from his offensive line position during his tenure in New England, playing for the Patriots. Photo by Getty Images
Kaczur has also kept up with the recent reports that Bill Belichick, widely regarded as the greatest coach of all-time, will not be a first ballot hall of famer.
“It’s kind of crazy,” he said. “If he doesn’t, then who deserves to be in in their first attempt? Nobody does.
“What’s the standard to get in? He’s the second winningest coach of all time and has eight Super Bowl (wins). What do you have to do to get in on a first ballot?”
Some people have speculated that Belichick is being punished for a pair of scandals – ‘Spygate’ in 2007 and ‘Deflategate’ in 2015 – or his surliness with the media.
However, Kaczur only has good things to say about the only head coach he played for in the NFL.
“He always let you know where you stood, whether you liked that or not,” said Kaczur.
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“I was fine because he was up front and honest. You knew where you were as long as you were producing. You had to respect that.”
Like every athlete, Kaczur misses playing and it hurt even more when a contemporary of his returned briefly.
“For sure, especially when Philip Rivers comes back and gets to play three games,” he said of missing the game after Rivers unretired at the age of 44 to play for the Indianapolis Colts this season.
Kaczur has done some coaching since retiring and although he’s been asked to help with the Bisons again this season, he’s not sure he’ll be able to due to the fact he’s busy with his daughters.
And while one of his daughters is pursuing the possibility of playing softball at the next level, for now, it’s Kaczur who remains the famous one in the family.
“Because of what I did, people are happy to see someone, know someone who has done something,” he says of getting recognized in town.
“My daughter always has to joke because every time we’re out, she’s like, ‘Dad, when’s it going to happen?’ and then someone will be like, ‘Hey, you’re Nick Kaczur,’ and then it’s here we go again.”
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