All the money Tom Brady left on the table to help the Patriots
The New England Patriots have been the epitome of success for almost the last two decades. Ever since the Patriots brought in Bill Belichick as head coach and drafted some guy named Tom Brady in the sixth round in 2000, things have been peachy in New England.
In 2001, the Patriots have crowned Super Bowl champions after taking down “The Greatest Show on Turf” St. Louis Rams team. Little did everyone know, that was the beginning of one of the most prosperous dynasties in NFL history.
The thing is, they are still going strong in Brady and Belichick’s 20th season together. New England is coming off another season where they were fitted for Super Bowl rings, winning their sixth Super Bowl in franchise history.
At this point, whoever makes the Super Bowl rings has to remember Brady and Belichick’s ring sizes by memory. The Patriots run of success will likely never be reached again during the salary-cap era of the NFL.
But to be able to sustain a dominant stretch as the Patriots have, there have to be sacrifices being made by people for the team’s best interests. No one has sacrificed more in terms of currency than Tom Brady.
In today’s NFL, we see guys like Russell Wilson and Aaron Rodgers landing lucrative deals that see them make upwards of $30+ million every season. Don’t get me wrong, those guys deserve all the money they’re being given. But in the grand scheme of things, those contracts can hold a team back in terms of building around the quarterback. As a result, teams are trying to build “win -now” rosters around quarterbacks on rookie deals.
Why so? So they can maximize their time with a softer cap hit from their guy under center.
Giving your quarterback a boatload of money basically makes you reliant to draft well every season. Because teams have to let certain guys go due to salary concerns, not because of their performance on the field.
Over the course of Tom Brady’s career, he has never been the highest paid quarterback in the NFL. Although, he has absolutely deserved to be for many years now to this point.
So why didn’t he ever demand a contract that fits isGiving your quarterback a boatload of money basically makes you reliant to draft well every season. Because teams have to let certain guys go due to salary concerns, not because of their performance on the field.
Over the course of Tom Brady’s career, he has never been the highest paid quarterback in the NFL. Although, he has absolutely deserved to be for many years now to this point.
So why didn’t he ever demand a contract that fits being one of the best quarterbacks of all time? Some, like Dak Prescott, would say it’s because he’s with a model in Gisele Bundchen who’s net worth is over two times the amount of Brady himself.
That’s fair to say as not everyone can land a model wife who is very successful and just as dominant in her craft as you are. Brady hasn’t taken a lucrative contract for the sake of winning, not because of his wealthy wife. one of the best quarterbacks of all time? Some, like Dak Prescott, would say it’s because he’s with a model in Gisele Bundchen who’s net worth is over two times the amount of Brady himself.
That’s fair to say as not everyone can land a model wife who is very successful and just as dominant in her craft as you are. Brady hasn’t taken a lucrative contract for the sake of winning, not because of his wealthy wife.
Instead, Brady has continuously restructured his contracts to allow New England more flexibility for their roster. That’s why the Patriots are able to sign guys like Stephon Gilmore, who play crucial roles in hoisting a Lombardi trophy.
According to an analysis by Business Insider, Brady has left anywhere between $60-$100 million on the table over his career. In layman’s terms, that’s a lot of money being turned down.
In addition, Brady does make a decent chunk of his money from endorsements and what not. He has deals with Under Armour, Aston Martin, Uggs, etc. Although, it still doesn’t take away from the fact that he’s lost out on around $100 million in his playing career.
Again, Brady has done it just to cement his status as one of the best to ever do it. Brady has more rings than 31 NFL franchises alone.
He’s tied with the Pittsburgh Steelers with six Super Bowl victories.
Plus, if I had to guess which one reaches seven first, my money’s on Brady. Nothing has stopped Brady in his career, not even the temptation of signing a historic contract.
Father time has defeated many but it seems incapable of reaching Brady. At 40 years old in 2018, we saw Brady throw for 4,355 yards and 29 touchdowns.
In the NFL now, the contracts for quarterbacks continue to rise in price. In turn, Brady has refused to shape himself after the league. Instead, he’s doing things differently by making the NFL realize that what he is doing is different than everyone else.
And it’s working to perfection. New England has definitely benefitted from it as they’ve become an accomplished organization because of it. It’s unfair to ask other quarterbacks or players to turn down money as Brady has, but his unselfishness has led to long-term success.