National Football Association star Tom Brady is just one game away from becoming the most successful player in Super Bowl history.
Should favourites the New England Patriots overcome the Philadelphia Eagles in Sunday’s Super Bowl LII, Brady would be the only American football player in history to have secured six Super Bowl titles.
Since first turning out for the Patriots in 2000, Brady has helped the club to secure a host of trophies and titles.
Sports fans now regard Brady as one of the greatest players in NFL history, having secured four Super Bowl MVP awards from five Big Game appearances.
Such a title comes with enormous earning power. As a result of his success, Tom Brady’s net worth is estimated at $180m, but where has that money been made and could another Super Bowl title see it increase?
How much does the NFL pay Tom Brady?
Brady is widely regarded as the greatest quarterback in NFL history and is viewed as a contended for the “greatest of all time” title.
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By GlobalDataHowever, Brady’s New England Patriots contract doesn’t pay nearly as much as what the leading stars of other sports are earning.
Soccer’s Cristiano Ronaldo topped Forbes’ 2017 list of highest-paid athletes with earnings of $58m from salary and winnings. Likewise, LeBron James earned $31.2m from playing basketball in the same year.
Brady doesn’t even top the salary charts in the NFL. Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck took that title in 2017 with earnings of $47m.
In fact, Brady didn’t even feature on the 100-athlete list last year. However, that is largely by choice.
The NFL star agreed to a new deal with the New England Patriots in 2016 that saw his base salary drop from $9m down to $1m for the 2016 and 2017 seasons.
However, partly a way to free up salary cap funds for the Patriots and partly a way to avoid losses as a result of suspensions, Brady’s overall earnings didn’t take a hit. The deal also included a signing bonus of $28m, which boosted him up to 15th on Forbes list in 2016, but saw him fall out of the top 100 the following year.
The deal means that Brady will have pocketed $30m over the course two years when it expires later this year, $11m more than he would have made had he not agreed to restructure.
According to Forbes, Brady’s latest contract took his total career earnings to $196.2m.
How else has Tom Brady boosted his net worth?
Oliver Williams of GlobalData WealthInsight told Verdict:
“With such a short earning window, most sports professionals need to make hay while the sun shines. This means they often have a myriad of incomes streams, including professional salaries, signing fees, sponsorship agreements, influencer incomes as well as prize money.”
Tom Brady is a good example of this.
When the NFL star last appeared on Forbes’ highest-paid athletes list back in 2016, the business publication estimated his total earnings at $44.1m, of which just $36.1m came from his salary and sports-related bonuses.
This means that Brady made an additional $8m through other income streams, such as sponsorship deals.
As one of the best players in history, Brady has attracted a long list of sponsors throughout his career.
Brady currently lists major brands such as watchmaker Tag Heuer, shoemaker Uggs and sportwear brand Under Armour as his sponsors. Forbes estimates that Brady makes an additional $7m a year from sponsorship and endorsement deals.
Unconfirmed reports put Brady’s total career earnings at $275m.
Brady has the NFL to thank for generating the majority of his wealth. However, he has also been keen to invest his money in ways that will continue to earn him an income long after he quits the sport.
Williams said:
In addition to his NFL earnings, Tom Brady has also played the property market. In 2014, Dr Dre payed $40m for his Brentwood estate, cash that has since been reinvested back into real estate.
Will a sixth Super Bowl title boost Tom Brady’s earnings?
Despite his status and dominant displays in the Big Game, the NFL won’t offer Brady much reward for winning a record-breaking sixth title at Super Bowl LII.
The NFL values every Super Bowl player the same. Whether you’re a five time winner or first season rookie makes no difference to the American football organiser.
Winning players are given just $56,000 for appearing in the showpiece event, which is less than the $62,500 that Brady earned for playing in each regular season match this season.
Even the commemorative ring that winners receive is worth more. Super Bowl rings from past years have sold at auction for up to $200,000.
While winning the Super Bowl isn’t all that fruitful, but it could help to boast a player’s profile and attract sponsors.
However, we wouldn’t expect a sixth Super Bowl to cause too much to change for Brady. It would only confirm what we, and potential sponsors, already know – that Brady is one of the best and most popular players in his sport.
However, securing a sixth title could prove to be valuable for Brady in the long term.
Now aged 40 and with the end of his American football career surely in sight, going down in history as the most successful player in NFL history would make Brady a valuable asset to potential sponsors long after he calls time on his career.