I predicted he'd extend for much less than the market rate back in 2013. I was called an idiot. But I was right.
Brady wants to win. More money for other players increases the chance of a superbowl win. He's also rich and simply doesn't need the money even without his wife. He probably has 100m in the bank he's going to break a contract to get 5 more? Isn't he the guy who said "at the end of the day what's an extra million dollars"?
Now you posit that he may hold our or sandbag to force a trade or higher contract. That's the last thing he'd do. That would cost him more in lower endorsements alone than he'd make in higher salary elsewhere. He'd be a spoiled rich kid malcontent. He'd also ruin his legacy of 4 or 5 sb wins by going to a loser team with a new system. Yes he may insist on a contender but realistically his best chance is here.
Also Brady knew exactly what he was doing. Teams have decision points they have the option. Players don't unless they want to retire.
So in short I think the point is 180 degrees off course.
It doesn't sound like most posters on this board yet understand Tom Brady. Maybe I'm the one who's thinking is off, but I doubt it.
Tom Brady is not and never has been primarily about the money. The fact that he has already earned a huge sum in the NFL over his career makes it easier to be this way. The oft-noted fact that his wife makes even more than him means that he'll probably never have to worry about money as long as they do reasonable things the rest of their lives.
Tom Brady is about playing football and winning. He's not like other players. The SI article that came out last week made that clear - but I think this has been clear from the moment he stepped on the field and first met Robert Kraft (I'm the best decision this franchise has ever made). His focus and passion haven't dimmed one iota during the past 14 years that I can tell.
When TB signed his contract 2 years ago, I couldn't believe how almost everyone assumed that it would be renegotiated within a few years. You don't understand - Tom Brady intends to play for that money. He's always intended to play for the money in the contract. It was always a below market contract and he was happy with that. Yes, it had guarantees of money in case of injury that means it might not have been quite the discount that some were making it. But would another QB around TB's level signing 2 years ago for $50 million guaranteed and $100 million overall for 5 years surprised anyone ? Not me.
That would have been a market-level deal for one of the top QBs of all time. But that's not what TB signed for.
Stop talking about TB playing 3 or less years. Yes, that's a (very) reasonable discussion for us to have about football players in general and quarterbacks specifically. But everyone
knows if they've been paying attention that this is
not Tom Brady's thinking. Tom Brady not only wants to play until he's 45 or 48 (or even 50), he's fanatical about it. Tom Brady's successor is not on this team in TB's mind. He's probably not in college yet. Admittedly, this would be breaking new ground in the NFL (kicker and part-time QB George Blanda aside), but Tom Brady doesn't lack the confidence or the dedication or the ability to do this. In fact, I expect it of him. And given what Tom Brady has told us about himself, you should too (career ending injuries aside). I will not be surprised if TB is playing QB of the NE Patriots at 45 and still doing it at a high level. If Belichick intends to retire before he's 70 (as he's said), he may retire with TB still playing QB of the NE Patriots.
So this discussion about what is going to happen to TB's contract is just foolishness from TB's perspective. He is in an ideal situation with a great owner, a great coach and a great winning tradition. He is beloved in New England and by many around the country. Every year the Patriots field a team that could win the Super Bowl (with better odds than in 2001
). What's not to love? Not everyone is driven by pride, greed or need to get the money. Tom Brady isn't; he's living a near perfect life anyway.
Stop thinking that TB is like you or like other athletes. He's not - in so many ways. He's himself. He's shown us enough of himself over the years that if we don't understand that, the problem is us.