We knew previously that Tom Brady led the NFL in officially licensed merchandise sales from the 2021-22 season, but we didn’t know just how much he raked in. Until now.
According to Daniel Kaplan of The Athletic, TB12 earned a total of $9.5 million in NFLPA memorabilia sales last season, which was a new record.
This amount factors in items such as jersey sales, trading cards, and any other officially NFL licensed products that feature Brady’s name, image, or likeness.
Tom Brady’s fame separates him from others
Patrick Mahomes, with $3.3 million in sales, came in second place behind Brady, just like in his recent golf match.
Even though Brady may not be among the top earners at his position, he knows his earnings off the field can help make up for lost dollars in his player salary, helping his team field annually field a better roster.
Why don’t more players take the TB12 approach to their salaries? Well, there’s only one GOAT, and he’s at the top in merchandise sales. Other players just don’t have the same popularity as Brady, meaning they can’t reduce their salary and still fall back on other off-the-field earnings to make up for the sacrifice.
As Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk points out, Forbes estimates Brady’s total endorsement money (not counting NFLPA sales) to come in around $52 million annually. Add that to his $30 million salary for the 2022 season, and one can see how Brady can afford to save a bit of cap space for the rest of his teammates.
We know of Brady’s post-playing career plans, in which he’s set to earn as much as $375 million over 10 years in his broadcasting deal with FOX Sports, but that deal won’t kick in until he hangs up his cleats for good.
For now, Brady will have to enjoy being the most popular player off the field, among his fans. It only gives him another talking point, and yet another reason to keep smack-talking his peers, as if he needed any more, the rings are enough.
Related: Detroit Lions’ Aidan Hutchinson would like to ‘smack Tom Brady’, talk smack to him