What’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady‘s secret to playing at a high level after over two decades?
First, you can’t deny the discipline with his diet and his exercise. Those aspects helped him achieve 5,316 yards and 43 touchdowns at 44 years old.
But aside from taking care of himself, he also takes care of the players around him by settling for lower-value contracts. He could have easily commanded an annual average salary like what Aaron Rodgers is set to receive (three years, $150 million).
After all, he is a seven-time Super Bowl winner and three-time Most Valuable Player.
The Super Bowl victories might not have happened if he didn’t leave money on the table, giving his teams the chance to sign other top talents.
10 largest total value contracts in NFL history:
1. Mahomes – $450M
2. Allen – $258M
3. Wilson – $245M
4. Murray – $230.5M
5. Watson – $230M
6. Prescott/Stafford – $160M
8. Watson – $156M
9. Rodgers – $151M
10. Ryan – $150M
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143. Tom Brady's largest – $72M— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) September 1, 2022
With football being a team sport, having the best roster improves winning chances. That’s what Brady understood, and he put his teams in a position to win and could not care less that he was worth more money. NBC Sports’ Warren Sharp shared the ten largest contracts in NFL history.
Patrick Mahomes tops the list with his ten-year, $450 million deal with the Kansas City Chiefs. Josh Allen is second with a six-year, $258 million extension from the Buffalo Bills.
Meanwhile, Russell Wilson recently signed a five-year, $245 million extension with the Denver Broncos. On the other hand, Brady isn’t even in the top 100.
Brady’s Salary History
In 2010, the Michigan alumnus agreed to a four-year, $72 million deal with the New England Patriots. He got $29.25 million in guaranteed money from that contract.
However, his annual average salary went up when he agreed to a two-year, $50 million deal to join the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
It was a fully-guaranteed deal that kept him signed until 2021. As he returns for his 23rd NFL season, Brady agreed to a one-year, $25 million deal. The cap flexibility brought by his contracts allowed Tampa Bay to retain Chris Godwin and Leonard Fournette while welcoming Julio Jones and Russell Gage.
