Tom Brady is arguably the best QB in NFL history. While fans consider him to be the NFL GOAT, his achievement of seven Super Bowl rings is also a feat that is yet to be matched by QBs in the league. But despite such an impressive and illustrious track record, the NFL GOAT was never earning lucrative amounts as other QBs in the league during his 23-season career. In fact, the QB consistently took pay cuts during his New England Patriots days to help construct Super Bowl-winning teams, which is also a factor for the Pats winning six Super Bowls during the Tom Brady era. 

But despite the pay cuts, Brady still earned a huge amount playing for 23 seasons in the NFL. During his whole professional footballing career, the QB retired from the game, pocketing a massive $332 million from the league.

Tom Brady earned a gigantic career paycheck

Back when the Patriots drafted Brady as a backup to QB1 Drew Bledsoe, the team had given Bledsoe a 10-year $103 million contract in 2001, making it the biggest contract in NFL history. But it was short-lived after he suffered a major injury and opened the gates for Brady to shine and take the Patriots to six Super Bowl wins. And unlike other QBs who signed big contracts, Brady was a team player who was more focused on winning championships than earning big bucks. 

According to an article by Barron’s, the 7X Super Bowl champion made around $332 million in total playing QB for the Patriots and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during his 23-season career. Brady earned this amount even after consistently taking pay cuts to help his team develop and acquire talents around him on the field to win championships. An analysis by Business Insider states that the QB left $60-$100 million on the table to allow the Pats to continue building Super Bowl-winning teams. Brady became the highest-earning NFL player only once while with the Bucs, earning around $75 million a year back in 2022, including $45 million from off-field activities. 

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And just like Brady, Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes is also a team player who is walking in the footsteps of the NFL GOAT in order to add more Lombardi trophies to his cabinet. 

Mahomes walking in Brady’s shadows

After Brady, Patrick Mahomes is considered next in line to be crowned as the NFL GOAT. The 27-year-old has already won two Super Bowl championships and is considered being one of the greatest QB in the NFL at the moment. And just like Brady, Mahomes’ focus lies on creating a Super Bowl-winning team than earning high-paying QB money. The Chiefs signed Mahomes to a 10-year $450 million contract in 2020. But both Lamar Jackson and Jalen Hurts have gone on to receive a 5-year $260 million and $255 million contract respectively recently, making them the highest-paid players currently. Despite this, Patrick Mahomes is not looking to renegotiate a better contract as he talked about how he stated that he’ll “never do anything “ that will hinder the chances of creating a quality team around him to play.

Do you think the Patriots’ legacy would have been different had Tom Brady negotiated to become the highest-paid player during his tenure? Let us know in the comments below.

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