To help the Patriots do more, Tom Brady has taken less.
Since being drafted by New England in the sixth round of the 2000 draft, Brady has made about $200 million in salary alone. But, if he was more into dollar signs than x’s and o’s, he could have made even more.
In order to help the team have more money to spend on other players and extra maneuverability under the salary cap, Brady has often restructured his deals and taken contract extensions at below market value for a player of his caliber.
According to an analysis by Business Insider, Brady would have made at least $60 million more in salary had he insisted on being paid the going rate for top quarterback deals over his career.
That’s a conservative estimate and actual amount Brady has left on the table thus far could actually be as much as $100 million.
To be fair, it doesn’t hurt that Brady is married to a supermodel, Gisele Bündchen, who’s worth more than $350 million on her own, but there’s no doubt his willingness to take less money has helped the Patriots sustain success.
It has also helped Brady boost his personal TB12 brand and earn endorsement deals with high-end firms such as Tag-Heuer and Aston Martin.
“Perhaps if Brady had not restructured or agreed to new deals, the Patriots would not have been as good, taking some of the luster away from both parties,” according to Business Insider. “Brady has said he wants to play until he’s 45, meaning he has a few more opportunities to still cash in. But at the moment, the best quarterback in NFL history won’t go down as the highest-paid.”
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