New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady is $5 million poorer than he might have been, according to the Boston Globe. And he can only point the finger at himself.
Brady’s 2018 contract had him potentially earning $5 million in incentive pay on top of base salary and bonuses, according to Spotrac, a sports contract and payroll research site. To nail the extra, he had to finish among the top five in the NFL for passer rating, completion percentage, yards per pass attempt, touchdown passes, and passing yards.
Because he had finished in the top five for each of the categories in 2017, this was considered likely money. Except, it wasn’t. Although Brady had a good year, he was further down the list on each, according to ESPN. He was 12th in passing rating, 18th in completion percentage, 13th in yards per pass attempt, 10th in touchdown passes, and 7th in passing yards.
Strictly speaking, his performance wasn’t that far off from 2017, according to AOL. Rather, it could be described as amazing given that he’s now 41, which in NFL-years makes him ancient. The problem Brady faced was that other teams became more aggressive.
Still, don’t worry about Brady. Even without the bonuses, he still makes $15 million, which is what he’s scheduled to earn this year.