Forbes released its list of the 100 highest-paid athletes in the world this week, and one former Michigan Wolverines athlete made the cut — Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady, who checked in at No. 21 overall by making $45 million.
He actually came in as the fourth-highest paid NFL player and was fourth among quarterbacks as well, with the Minnesota Vikings' Kirk Cousins (No. 9 overall with $60.5 million), the Philadelphia Eagles' Carson Wentz (No. 10 with $59.1 million) and the Los Angeles Rams' Jared Goff (No. 15 with $49 million) all slotting in higher than Brady.
The Forbes article also took a deeper dive into Brady's earnings, explaining that $33 million of it came from his salary/winnings, while another $12 million came from endorsements.
After spending the first 20 seasons (2000-19) of his NFL career with the New England Patriots, Brady signed a two-year contract worth $50 million with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this offseason, with another $9 million in potential incentives.
"Brady has focused on his TB12 lifestyle brand in recent years, eschewing most of the endorsement deals he is offered," the article explained. "In 2020, he launched 199 Productions, a nod to his selection in the 2000 Draft, to develop documentaries, feature films and TV shows."
Professional tennis player Roger Federer checked in as the highest-paid athlete in the world, meanwhile, making $106.3 million. Of that $106.3 million, $100 million of it came via endorsements.
The fact that Brady only came in at No. 21 on the world's highest-paid athletes list may come as a surprise to some, especially when considering the NFL resume he has put together over the past 20 years with the Patriots.
Brady is now widely viewed as not only the game's best quarterback, but also the NFL's best player of all time, thanks to a list of accomplishments that no other pro player can match.
NFL Records Held by Brady
Regular Season
• Victories by a quarterback (219)
• Division titles for a starting quarterback (16)
• Passing yards with one team (74,571 with the Patriots)
• Touchdown passes with one team (541)
• Road wins by a quarterback (98)
• Home triumphs by a signal-caller (121)
• Number of different players thrown a touchdown pass to (77)
Playoffs
• Games started (41)
• Contests won by a starting quarterback (30)
• Touchdown passes (73)
• Passing yards (11,388)
• Conference championship wins by a starting quarterback (9)
• 300-yard passing games (16)
• Passing yards in a single playoff game (505 against the Eagles in 2018)
Super Bowl
• Wins (6)
• Appearances (9)
• MVPs (4)
• Touchdown passes (18)
• Passing yards (2,838)
• Completions (256)
• Game-winning drives (6)
• Consecutive completions (16, against the New York Giants in 2012)
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