Tom Brady

All about the Patriots' Legendary Quarterback !

Tom Brady, Thomas Edward Patrick Brady Junior to be precise, is the star quarterback of the American soccer team New England Patriots. Based in Boston, this NFL franchise recruited almost by default the one who will become the G.O.A.T. (Greatest Of All Time) in the NFL. Here is a look at the story of one of the best players in the history of the NFL! For the anecdote, you should know that the debate of GOAT in U.S. Football comes up quite often within the Brooklyn Fizz team. And after 5 years of discussions, there is still no consensus!

The 2000 draft

After having evolved within the Michigan University, Brady was supposed to be drafted -according to him- at the 2nd or 3rd round of the 2000 draft. He will finally be selected in the 6th round, and will put on the Patriots' cap, only as a compensatory choice. That is to say that the Patriots selected him only to compensate for the departure of some free agents. This is what will become with hindsight the "biggest steal" of the NFL draft. Indeed, the later a player is selected in the Draft, the more expensive it is for the franchise that selected him.

Brady's records

In addition to the string of records that accompany Brady's career with the Patriots, Manuel the grocer wants to remember 3 of them. First, there are the wins in Superbowl, he holds more "Championship Ring" than you could put on one hand. He has 6 of them! The 2nd and 3rd records are not so much sporting as they are decisional. He stayed for 20 years with the same team, playing the same position. This is a double record both for longevity as a Pro in the NFL, but also for loyalty to the same franchise. This record of contract with the same franchise ends in March 2020, after the announcement of the signing of the contract that now binds Brady to Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Why did Tom Brady stay so long with the Patriots?

The grocer Manuel will try below to establish a non-exhaustive list of these reasons:

• Out of gratitude? Not likely, Brady spoke afterwards about the experience of the 2000 draft and the trauma of being selected by the Patriots as the 4th backup quarterback.
• A taste of the Boston climate? Although the ocean air is invigorating, the grocer is not sure that this aspect, especially for a Californian, was a determining factor. California has a much milder and more pleasant climate than Massachusetts, but that's just his point of view.
• The salary, you might ask? Well, as surprising as it may seem, Brady is not the highest paid NFL player. He's not even the highest paid quarterback by any means. Brady is the 18th highest paid quarterback according to the NFL in 2019. With only 15 million dollars per year, to be compared with Russell Wilson of the Seahawks who palms 35 million dollars per year. The salary cap in the NFL obviously does not allow a team with an unlimited budget to recruit only the best players. Brady has talked about this balance for himself and his teammates as a good thing and a chance to play with a good team under his leadership. Knowing this, it seems likely that the team's motivation is increased tenfold, as well as the enjoyment of playing together.
• The absence of scandal? Unfortunately, the Patriots have had their share of scandals and legal setbacks over the past two decades, with Spygate and Deflategate.

So no, Manuel the grocer does not know the reason or reasons that led Tom Brady to stay so long in the same team, what is sure is that it helps to forge his legend and his aura as a quarterback and G.O.A.T. For the little anecdote, the grocer Manuel, during one of his first visit to the USA in 2006, bought an NFL jersey in a ROSS supermarket. He knew nothing about sports and nothing about the NFL at the time, but it was Tom Brady's jersey with the 12 that he bought. The equipment manufacturer at the time was Reebok, the grocer remembers, the jersey is still in his closet and it is not ready to leave his wardrobe!