Tom Brady made more than $332 million during his legendary NFL career, and that doesn’t account for endorsement deals. The star quarterback used those funds to motivate teammates.
During a December interview on the Wam Bam podcast, former Tampa Bay Buccaneers guard Ali Marpet claimed Brady offered money to the offensive line in an attempt to improve their screen game.
“[Brady] took our starting offensive line to the side and he’s like, ‘Hey, if you guys can get a screen to go for more than 15 yards, I will give you $1,000 cash each. That is for you guys, so every time that we get that, I will be happy to make that payment,'” Marpet recalled Brady saying.
Marpet credited Brady for “knowing how guys are wired” and how to incentivize them. He said they earned the bonus on “multiple” screens.
Brady’s generosity wasn’t solely based on results. Marpets also said Brady “always took care of us” with Christmas gifts such as IWC luxury watches.
Perhaps Brady realized he couldn’t always heave the ball downfield into his 40s. Yet he threw often at his final destination, attempting more passes than any other quarterback (2,062) during his three seasons at Tampa Bay.
In his first season away from the New England Patriots, Brady received his seventh Super Bowl ring. The future Hall of Famer then tossed 43 touchdowns with a career-high 5,316 passing yards in 2022.
As Brady appeared to realize, turning screen passes into big plays is the easiest way to pad a quarterback’s stats. It just came at a cost to his wallet.