Reigning NFL MVP Tom Brady has not made any legitimate noise about wanting a raise from the $14 million base salary he’s slated to earn next season. This doesn’t mean Brady himself has not let the New England Patriots know he wants to be taken care of. As one of the most underpaid athletes in pro sports, it stands to reason he’ll want to cash in. Brady has been playing under a team-friendly contract for far too long.
According to CBS Sports NFL insider Jason La Canfora, it’s now possible Brady could in fact be in line for an extension prior to the start of the 2018 campaign.
This makes all the sense in the world for both Brady and the Patriots. The future Hall of Famer has two years remaining on his deal with a total cap hit of $44 million ($22 million each season). He obviously wants to play beyond this contract. And considering New England moved Jimmy Garoppolo, the team has to expect that this will be the case.
As of right now, Brady’s base contract of $14 million would come in eighth overall among quarterbacks. That puts him in Andy Dalton company. It’s not realistic to ask Brady to continue playing for pennies on the dollar.
Whether this means Brady himself will cause a stir privately or publicly remains to be seen. We’d bet against the all-time great making this a big thing. Even then, New England needs to make sure its franchise quarterback is happy. If that means making him one of the highest-paid quarterbacks in the NFL, then so be it.