When you play 23 seasons in the NFL, especially at such a high level as Tom Brady has, you break a lot of records. Brady has cemented his name in the record books over his historic career with the New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and he’s also made a lot of money.
Even though there have been several seasons in which Brady has chosen to leave some extra money on the table during contract negotiations, the future Hall of Fame quarterback has still taken home more than any other football player in league history.
According to Justin Byers of Front Office Sports, Brady is the NFL’s highest-paid athlete of all time. He’s earned $303 million but reportedly could have earned up to $60 million more had he not offered previous discounts to the Patriots. But then some might ask, would he still have seven Super Bowl rings?
Either way, Brady can laugh all the way to the bank now, having become both the NFL’s winningest QB both in the regular season and during the playoffs while also bringing home the biggest bag. His highest earnings in a single season came last year when he raked in $39.4 million in salary from the Buccaneers.
Yet, Brady is set to shatter that mark in 2022, where he’s making $75 million, $45M of which comes via off-field endorsements and partnerships.
Other Hall of Fame QBs trail Tom Brady on NFL’s all-time earnings list
As expected, Brady is the GOAT. But who’s No. 2 on the list of top NFL earners of all time?
Another player who played 20 seasons, retiring at the age of 41, is Drew Brees, and he reportedly comes in second with career earnings of $269.7 million.
Ben Roethlisberger comes in third place at $267.3 million, and current Indianapolis Colts QB Matt Ryan is fourth at $267 million.
In all, there have been a total of 53 football players to top the $100 million mark in career earnings.
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