Tom Brady was famous in New England for taking extremely team-friendly deals to help the Patriots put the best roster around him. During his dominant 20-year reign, the three-time league MVP and six-time Super Bowl champion played for an average of about $15 million per year.
For comparison, when 23-year-old quarterback Drake Maye signs his extension next year, it will likely be for a figure north of $60 million a year.
NBC Sports' lead insider Mike Florio warned any fans expecting Maye to take a Brady-like deal not to hold their breath.
"The Patriots will be hoping that, like Tom Brady before him, Maye will be less inclined to break the bank and more inclined to ensure that there will be cap space to have a quality team around him," Florio wrote. "Brady, who entered the league as the 199th overall pick, had naturally lower expectations early in his career. Maye, the third overall pick who was denied the commensurate reward due to the rookie wage scale, may not be as charitable as Brady was."
Florio is implying that, because Brady was able to sign an extension after just two years in the league, he was paid what he was worth sooner than Maye.
Although it feels like the four-year, $29.63 million extension he signed in 2002 was still a bargain considering he delivered three Lombardi Trophies in his first five years.
Maye is going to be getting paid in the same offseason as Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels and Bo Nix. All are expected to haul in the richest deals in the history of the sport.
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