Benzinga - With Wednesday's news of Tom Brady's retirement, Benzinga has gathered a list of the most interesting facts about the legendary quarterback. Brady is considered by some to be the greatest NFL player of all time, here's a look at five things you may not know about the former New England Patriots and Buccaneers quarterback.
1. Under Armour Deal: Brady has many endorsement deals thanks to his popularity around the league. The quarterback signed a deal with Under Armour Inc (NYSE: UAA) back in 2010. The deal came as one of the first big endorsements for Under Armour, years before they had a deal with NBA star Stephen Curry and had ventured into the lucrative shoe market.
Brady took stock options in Under Armour rather than a typical endorsement deal. The deal paid off well for Brady as Under Armour stock soared over the next six years, making the options 800% more valuable than when he signed with the clothing brand.
2. Super Bowl First Quarter Struggles: Despite playing in Super Bowls in almost half of his NFL career, there was one stat that Brady didn’t get to cross off until his Super Bowl LV victory.
In nine Super Bowls with the Patriots, Brady had never scored a first-quarter touchdown. In fact, in the nine Super Bowl appearances, the Patriots had only scored three points in the first quarter in Super Bowl 52. Brady’s first-quarter touchdown pass to Rob Gronkowski in Super Bowl LV erased this hurdle for Brady.
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3. Sixth Round Draft Pick: Many familiar with Brady’s rise to fame know that he was a sixth-round draft pick in the 2000 NFL Draft. The University of Michigan quarterback was chosen by the Patriots as the 199th pick overall. Six quarterbacks were drafted ahead of Brady.
In his 23 NFL seasons, Brady threw for 89,214 regular season passing yards and appeared in 10 Super Bowls. The six quarterbacks drafted ahead of Brady threw for a combined 44,470 yards and appeared in zero Super Bowls.
4. Opportunity From Injury: An injury to Patriots quarterback Drew Bledsoe was the catalyst for Brady’s career, providing an opportunity for the backup to start and never look back. If not for the injury that knocked Bledsoe out of the game late in the fourth quarter, fans may have never gotten the chance to witness what many consider the greatest quarterback of all time. Brady kept the starting job even as Bledsoe recovered from his injury and led the team to a victory in Super Bowl XXXVI. Bledsoe was traded to the Buffalo Bills in the off-season.
5. High Net Worth, But Ex-Wife Makes More: During his NFL career, Brady has earned over $263 million, including over $41 million in 2021, and $25 million in salary and bonuses from the Buccaneers during the 2020 season. Brady’s full payout for the 2020 season totaled $28.375 million after winning the Super Bowl.
Brady has a net worth of $250 million, which is impressive, but pales in comparison to his supermodel ex-wife Gisele Bundchen, whose net worth is $400 million.
Photo: Courtesy of Brook Ward on Flickr
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