Thirteenth! That’s the position Patrick Mahomes has dropped down to in the league’s highest-paid quarterbacks. In comparison to Mahomes’ $45 million annual salary, the numbers sported by other QBs are evidently shocking.
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With zero SBs to his name, Dak Prescott surpasses the Chiefs star at a Contract average annual value of $60 million, followed by Trevor Lawrence and Jordan Love at $55 million. Even the Dolphins QB, Tua Tagovailoa, boasts a better number at $53.1 million.
Per Joe Pompliano, this is because of the NFL’s Tom Brady model. On The Joe Pomp Show, the analyst highlighted the details of the model and the requirement for a player to successfully execute it in his career:
“The Tom Brady model in the NFL revolves around a player sacrificing a little bit of money on the front end with the idea being that their team will use the additional money to sign better players around them to help them win championships. Those championships then increase your popularity as a player, enabling you to earn significantly more money.”
This additional money that increases the value of the player comes from endorsement deals, advertisements, and post-career business opportunities. To illustrate the power of a Super Bowl title, Joe emphasized, “Seriously, do you think Mahomes would be with Tiny Troy if he hadn’t won any Lombardi?”
His words reflect the standard a Lombardi winner has over a simple NFL player. Subsequently, when divulging the model, Joe also dwelled on why it is named after Brady.
Per the analyst, despite the former Patriots QB ruling the league for 23 years, he never got the opportunity of becoming the league’s highest-paid quarterback. Yet, after bidding adieu to the gridiron, Brady’s public profile and career journey eased his way into securing a 10-year $375 million broadcasting contract with Fox.
While the former QB’s financial success story is glorifying, not all players find taking the Tom Brady route easy in their circumstances.
Why is the Tom Brady model a tough sell for NFL players?
Divulging the nature of the Tom Brady model being a tough sell, Pompliano highlighted how players don’t have their contracts guaranteed for injury. Subsequently, winning a Super Bowl plays a major role in such a contract, while there is never a 100% guarantee of someone winning a Lombardi.
He drew out an analogy of the situation being like someone asking an employee to take less salary in the hopes of getting a big promotion in the future. While Joe elaborated on the cons of the model, he also took a moment to highlight how Mahomes is no ordinary NFL player.
The 10-year deal based on this model has worked pretty efficiently for the QB. As the analyst pointed out:
“Not only is he the League’s most popular player today he’s also been able to use his Celebrity Status to build one of the most impressive ownership portfolios in sports immediately.”
From ownership of KC Royals to KC Current, and extending to major endorsement deals, the model seems to be working rather perfectly for the Chiefs star.
