The Cost Of Tom Brady
March 13th, 2020
Megamillions.
Yesterday, Joe took a stab at what future Hall of Fame quarterback and expected free agent Tom Brady might cost the Bucs.
Joe guessed somewhere in the $30-35 million range per year. A respected Bucs beat reporter is thinking the same.
Jenna Laine over at ESPN decided she too would guess what Brady might cost the Bucs. She’s leaning toward Joe’s highest guesstimate.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ offer
Total years and value: three for $102 million
Average per year: $34 million
Full guarantee at signing: $68 million
Total guarantee: $68 million
Three-year payout: $102 millionBrady’s contracts in New England have historically been on the low end compared with those of his contemporaries, but the Bucs will have to pony up to compete. This offer is cut-and-dried. His $34 million average annual salary puts him alongside Ben Roethlisberger for second highest in the league behind Russell Wilson. This offer isn’t longer than three years because Brady has said he wants to play until he’s 45. …
Winning isn’t what’s going to lure Brady to Tampa — it’s the idea of a challenge. The Bucs haven’t been to the postseason since 2007 and have put together two winning seasons in the past decade. But they have something Brady hasn’t enjoyed since 2011 (or 2009, if you’re talking strictly receivers not including Rob Gronkowski): two 1,100-yard Pro Bowl receivers in Mike Evans and Chris Godwin. The Bucs have more than $81 million in cap space — fourth most in the NFL …
The Bucs have negatives to overcome — their rushing attack isn’t as strong as the Titans’, for example, and their defense is still young — but they could sell Brady on the promise of a high draft pick at offensive tackle (they own No. 14) since lack of protection has been an ongoing issue.
Joe maintains there is no way Brady comes here unless Bucco Bruce Arians agrees to give up this dime store Ocala theatre act that his running backs are “solid.”
Of course, if Brady gets the power he has reportedly asked for, he won’t have to squeeze Arians to get a running back. Brady will get one himself.
March 13th, 2020 at 9:03 am
I thought the rule was to dont ever take a player Belichick doesnt want?
March 13th, 2020 at 9:09 am
my initial guesstimate on ole tommy was:
3 years 100 mil (all guaranteed)…
and you’ve got your quarterback
March 13th, 2020 at 9:10 am
I don’t think he’ll cost that much as long as he’s given some control over offense. He’s always been about winning, money being a smaller aspect. Heck I think his wife makes more than him, and remember 30 mill here is a LOT more than 30 mill elsewhere with state taxes….
I don’t think they should go north of 30 mill, even for Brady, as that’s a sign he’s only in it for the money and retirement in FL.
March 13th, 2020 at 9:11 am
Buc Luck he’ll break his leg in the 3rd game and never play in the NFL again….sorry folks I’d pass on the GOAT
March 13th, 2020 at 9:12 am
That is a lot of money……and if it happens we can probably kiss JPP goodbye and if Oline and RB are priorities in the draft then replacing him & possibly Suh will be unlikely….
So…..something has to suffer with the cap.
But…..if you want a chance to win you have to have a winning QB…..that, he is.
March 13th, 2020 at 9:14 am
TB12 is all about winning. Thats why he has been so successful throughout the years. I believe he would take a little less to make sure the team is fundamentally sound.
March 13th, 2020 at 9:19 am
lamarcus
bill wants him you idiot!!!!!!…lol…..
he just doesnt want to pay him….
unlike the bucs, they dont want JW and they sure as hell dont want to pay him….lol….
i guess you missed brandon cooks, talib and logan ryan over the years….lol….
GO BUCS!!!!!!
March 13th, 2020 at 9:20 am
That’s it!
Pony up eight million more than Winston allegedly wants to sign a beloved nursing home resident. When I read on this site, I absorb a litany of complaints about losing our free agents if we pay JW 27 million.
And now, many of those same people would sacrifice our total future for an “old man,” at least in football years. The Bucs are finally sniffing at the makings of a decent defense, and now many of you want them to piss it all away on a legend far past his prime.
If the Bucs do the deal, as Joe listed above, they will solidify their legacy as the worst sports franchise in the history of the world.
March 13th, 2020 at 9:20 am
Lamarcus, Richard Seymour had a good career with the raiders after he was jettisoned by the pats. Jamie Collins didn’t set the world on fire with the browns but he played well enough that the Patriots themselves wanted him back and got him. It’s not cut and dried.
March 13th, 2020 at 9:23 am
Pretty sure Belichick doesn’t want JayMiss either.
March 13th, 2020 at 9:25 am
$30M Brady + $16M Shaq +13M JPP + $10M Suh. Plus rookies? Godwin? I’m not a cap guy. Someone enlighten me.
March 13th, 2020 at 9:28 am
I’m pretty sure if Brady comes to Tampa, our FAs would be wiling to stay for less! If not there will be others out there itching to play with him and a legitimate run at the playoffs!
March 13th, 2020 at 9:32 am
brady would work but i would rather go with teddy, sign conklin and our defensive FAs….
draft:
kinlaw-R1
DE/OLB-R2
isaiah wilson-R3
RB-R4
GO BUCS!!!!!
March 13th, 2020 at 9:32 am
3 years lol
March 13th, 2020 at 9:33 am
JustBucNwin Says:
March 13th, 2020 at 9:28 am
I’m pretty sure if Brady comes to Tampa, our FAs would be wiling to stay for less!
BINGO!!!!!
everyone would raise their game…..
GO BUCS!!!!!
March 13th, 2020 at 9:33 am
Wait a second. The options are Winston at $30M, most yards in the NFL, only 26 years old, rocket arm….or 32 year old more expensive Tom Brady, probably seen better days?
The answer is easy.
Tom Brady is the best choice (we know Winston…and he just ain’t).
March 13th, 2020 at 9:34 am
^^corr. 42 years old. Still Brady.
March 13th, 2020 at 9:39 am
this type of desperate short term thinking is why this team has only contended twice in 43 years once under mckay and once during the sapp and gruden glory year…. you people are so jealous and hate jameis so much you are willing to flush any hope of future down the toilet on a 40 plus dude who probably won’t make it out of preseason with this roster. this roster is not ready to contend so bringing in brady will not work and will do far more damage than good similar to the way dungy the clown wasted sapp.
March 13th, 2020 at 9:43 am
Bucs fans always clamoring for another teams leftovers and wonder why the Bucs are are laughing stock of NFL. You would think everyone has learned better by now. Idc who he is Brady is 43 years old. You are going to set the franchise back decades when he retires. If it isn’t Carr I’m not interested.
March 13th, 2020 at 9:44 am
Bill does not want Brady, Kraft does! Bill wanted to keep Jimmy G and let Brady go three years ago. Brady is a shell of himself and I hope that this is a smoke screen to get Jameis to lower his price.
March 13th, 2020 at 9:46 am
^^^ I’m hoping the same thing. I’m tired of picking up other teams trash that come here and then don’t produce. I’d rather build something that’s going to last. Even if we win 1 Super Bowl with Brady it’s not worth another 25 years of losing.
March 13th, 2020 at 9:47 am
We are gonna end with Gabbert and a rookie
March 13th, 2020 at 9:53 am
If Bucs sign Conklin (assuming he’s healthy) and draft J Taylor, you’ve got a running game.
All the rest of cap goes to re-signing DLine and rookies
Some cuts/ trades will need to be made if Brady is signed
March 13th, 2020 at 9:54 am
The most logical scenario would be for Brady to sign with the Niners, Jimmy G gets traded back to Patriots, we give Jameis year 2 in BA’s offense. Just my humble opinion, of course, and I’m wrong about a lot of things.
March 13th, 2020 at 9:54 am
I can’t wait for all this guessing game stuff to be over with and we finally know who the QB will be.
March 13th, 2020 at 9:56 am
And then Bucs fans are so hot with The Mime.
If we do move on JW ….. let’s just draft a rookie and start over. We are not winning anything no time soon even with Brady.
Trade/cut Brate, OJ, Perriman, Dsmith, Dotson, Adam’s, Both Stewart’s, Gay, and Barber. Let’s rebuild this thing from scratch. Licht has us build wrong anyway
March 13th, 2020 at 9:57 am
I’d take Gabbert and a rookie.
look what Tannehill did in TN last year. We need a veteran with a brain and a rookie to train. Heck, I’d even just start a 1st round pick over jw; not like he could possibly do any more boneheaded plays!
we already know crabby isn’t the answer and is full of himself/clueless.
March 13th, 2020 at 10:05 am
Yes tannenhill improved with titans but with a running game and defense. everyone was ready to write tannenhill off before because no one understands the concept of football. A good team around a decent qb goes a long way. look at our superbowl run with brad johnson. I think the best thing we could do is franchise jameis and draft a rookie maybe 3rd rd thats just imo. Teddy isnt the answer and neither is brady not for long term success of the franchise.
March 13th, 2020 at 10:12 am
You commit to paying a 43-45 year old Tom Brady $102 mil over 3 years and you just destroyed the Bucs for many years. Lots of our youngsters who’ve shown great potential will be coming up for their 2nd contracts in that timeframe (starting with Chris Godwin). Paying that kind of money to ONE player is the kiss of death in today’s NFL when you’re already paying a king’s ransom to too many others.
March 13th, 2020 at 10:18 am
Brad Johnson was a vet that didn’t throw pick sixes on the 1st play of the game.
you can’t fix stupid.
March 13th, 2020 at 10:27 am
Robert you completely mised the whole point of my post and didnt actually speak to it just made a negative comment. which again is the problem with most of the posters here. Cant even have a back and forward about actual ways to improve our team but hey what do i know
March 13th, 2020 at 10:27 am
With all of our FA’s that need to be signed, as well as the Right tackle & possible RB that we need, I think that Bridgewater would be a much wiser FA pick because of Brady’s potential cost.
March 13th, 2020 at 10:33 am
DR – you are right, the only way to keep it together, would be to change the contract structures for players. That is the most consistent thing this team has had since Gruden. It hasn’t gotten us to the playoffs, maybe this is worth adapting their strategy a bit.
In BA I Trust!
March 13th, 2020 at 10:36 am
I agree with Defense Rules- brining in an over the hill Brady is a recipe for disaster, especially at that guaranteed money. This not only ruins the Bucs short term ability to sign their core players but hampers the team long term. This will go down as the stupidest move in LIcht’s tenure-and that is a high bar.
March 13th, 2020 at 10:37 am
bucsfan0784 – to address your post, IMO when we have an ATM at QB it deflates the entire team, keeps the D on the field longer, which wears them out, and when they stack the box waiting for him to lob one out there or for a run it hurts the run game. I would say play calling should be more unpredictable, but I lay 2x blame on QB play we need to draft a QB, but whats the point of even keeping jw, much less paying a huge amount for a proven loser when we’d have better odds with someone that costs a lot less, or pay more for the likes of Brady who we know could not only do the job, but groom the QB pick…
March 13th, 2020 at 11:02 am
It would take more than that to get him. The man is the best QB in history and he either stays with his team or gets paid more than any other QB in history.
Despite the bad year the Pats had, he’s not washed up. He could probably play another 3-5 years behind a great offensive line. And that is the issue. We don’t have that.
As I’ve said before…he’s staying with the Pats anyway. For less than he could make elsewhere.
March 13th, 2020 at 11:04 am
Would not pay 34mil for a 42 year old QB.
March 13th, 2020 at 11:08 am
Brady would cost the whole farm. That means that he will not go away when he reties, he will add his expertise to all things Bucs and maybe change the whole franchise.
The problem would only be the egos of Licht and Arians, can they give up that much power? If they can, it would be worth it. I doubt that it would be a smooth transition, though.
March 13th, 2020 at 11:13 am
Kinda explains it, his legacy is cemented if his mindset is bucs are a challenge and he gets them to the playoffs but personally think we are 2 lineman, running back and a free safety away from a deep playoff run
March 13th, 2020 at 11:27 am
I don’t think Brady will come here, because I don’t think the Bucs will offer him a contract.
Bridgewater at $20 million for the 1st year with an increase in the following years if he is the starter will be the way it goes down. Then we will draft a mid round QB as a safety net.
If we sign Teddy, and draft a Mid round QB, then the Bucs can use their draft capital to focus on a OT, RB, S, Edge, CB and DL.
March 13th, 2020 at 11:35 am
No team should ever allow any player to have control over the roster. If Brady wants to have that power, he can become a GM!!
March 13th, 2020 at 11:38 am
I’d be able to understand Bridgewater if we’re moving on from Jameis, especially at a reasonable price. Brady won’t sign with us IMHO, and Philip Rivers makes zero sense (too much like Jameis, just older and less arm strength at this stage).
March 13th, 2020 at 11:45 am
Interesting. Joe never thought about this. Not sure “less” would be accurate but it would be sort of a sell. Arians could go to JPP and Suh and say, “Look, I’m going for a ring. I just got the best quarterback whoever played. Why not ride with us? We need you. Don’t you want to be part of history.”
Of course, JPP already has a ring. So he may be a harder sell.
March 13th, 2020 at 12:45 pm
Only the Bucs would offer a $30m + per year contract with huge guaranteed money to a 42 year old.
March 13th, 2020 at 12:50 pm
Of course, JPP already has a ring. So he may be a harder sell.
thats when you bring brady in to tell JPP, “2 is always better than 1″….
GO BUCS!!!!!
March 13th, 2020 at 12:54 pm
813bucboi
Jpp may be like low standard bucfan content clinging to one expired championship
March 13th, 2020 at 12:58 pm
3 years; $110M w/ $70M guaranteed and a third year option
$25M salary + $12.5M Roster bonus = $35M cap charge
$25M salary + $12.5M Roster bonus = $35M cap charge
$35M salary (option)
March 13th, 2020 at 1:31 pm
Joe maintains there is no way Brady comes here unless Bucco Bruce Arians agrees to give up this dime store Ocala theatre act that his running backs are “solid.”
Of course, if Brady gets the power he has reportedly asked for, he won’t have to squeeze Arians to get a running back. Brady will get one himself.
___________________________________________________________
So much hyperbole. RoJo is fine (4.2), but we should upgrade our backups and fix our oline.
March 13th, 2020 at 1:53 pm
I’m hoping Brady does not pan out for us. Its a huge mistake for our desperate franchise. He’s gonna get hit a lot more in Tampa than he did in NE. And he cannot run anywheres. he won’t last one season here. Stay the course Bucs. Fortify our O line and get a hella RB in this draft. Give Winston one more year. Fans, look at our history. When we let decent QB’s go..they go one to another team and win Superbowls.
March 13th, 2020 at 2:09 pm
Saw Dion Lewis was cut today by Tennessee as they are opening the bank for Derrick Henry.
If Brady does come, it seems like Dion Lewis had his best year in 2017 with Brady. Lewis had a ridiculously high 28% of his touches or targets in 2017 became a 1st down. This is very high.
He also caught 32 of 35 targets and knows how to pass protect.
His target catch percentage for his career is 82%.
Other running back catch percentage in their careers:
Gordon 75%
Johnson 67%
Howard 67%
Drake 72%
March 13th, 2020 at 2:12 pm
LOLicht will kill any chance at a deal with his awkward ways. Brady just wants the attention. Any decent deal from Pats or a 49er finagle are the only options I believe.
March 13th, 2020 at 3:35 pm
I Bleed Pewter Says:
no one including rojo’s mother believes that he is a starting rb in the nfl. dude was just another wasted draft pick with a low ceiling.
March 13th, 2020 at 9:25 pm
Robert
You are correct about Giselle being worth more than Tom. Brady’s net worth is reportedly 180 million but together he and Giselle are worth 560 million!!!
You can do the math..Giselle was the highest paid supermodel in the world for a half dozen years and still makes bundles.
MONEY will not drive this issue…a half BILLION dollars really makes an addition 5-10 million pretty insignificant.
Now EGO is a huge part and why not. I do not mean that as an insult. Brady has six titles but they were all with Belecheat. He could easily go for seven next year with the Pats if he wants.
But that would just be more of the same…ho hum…IF he turned around a losing franchise that could cap an already HOF career.
I’m wary of the numbers and I hear D.R.’s warning and respect it. But NFL contracts can be like monopoly money…68 million guaranteed…how does that work out against the contract? Depend on the terms I guess…how much is front loaded…how much is back loaded etc.
I’m an old dude who has always been a WIN NOW guy…and now that I’m old…you betcha. Football is too volatile to plan on any single player for many years. Keeping teams together is tough. The only way for me to view it is win now!!!!
So do we think Brady can get us to the playoffs much less the SB.
How about Teddy?
I like the odds for both of them. Brady just elevates the teams rep from the instant he signs. Brady winning the SB here would be OFF THE FREAKING CHARTS…even just making the game in Tampa would be major history!!!
If Teddy does it…great but it wouldn’t have NEAR the impact of Brady succeeding. No risk it no biscuit.
March 13th, 2020 at 10:21 pm
Does anyone actually think Brady would choose to come here? When is the last time the Bucs did anything of note and won a bidding war for anything other than the 32nd ranked punter in the league.
With that said, if you’re the Glazers, you literally offer Brady anything he wants – even $40m a year, even $50m a year – although that would ruin your depth. You do anything you can to get him because Brady coming here would suddenly make the team relevant again.
Then again, even if the Bucs did somehow sign Brady he’d probably end getting the virus from the training room and retire just before the season — because that’s how it goes for the Bucs. Oh, and of course the Pats would sign Winston, and he’d have them playing in the SB, in Tampa next year. Because, that’s how it goes with the Bucs (Doug Williams, Steve Young, Chris Chandler, Trent Dilfer)…
March 14th, 2020 at 12:49 am
Is tmax Joe?
March 14th, 2020 at 12:54 am
Is tmax Joe?
LOL Joe wouldn’t get any work done if he was TMax. Between approving comments nearly round the clock (which often include TMax’s), Joe would barely have time in the day to write much less sell ads or, you know, do anything else.
March 14th, 2020 at 5:29 am
I doubt that Brady is coming here, but I’d give him whatever he wanted to get him here.
March 14th, 2020 at 1:36 pm
Hi Joe,
I’m a lifelong Bucs fan from New England so you can imagine the fun I’m having with everyone about Tom Brady coming to Tampa. I’m wondering if it is legal for the Bucs to hire Tom Brady as an assistant coach and/or assistant gm and pay him a king’s ransom with Glazer cash that doesn’t influence the salary cap and then put him on the books for a couple million that affect the salary cap. Thus giving him the control, money, and team (salary cap flexibility allows the team to invest more in his own protection in the Oline and more weapons) he has always wanted. I guess my question is… is that allowed? I know it’s never happened but can it?
Thanks,
Griz
March 15th, 2020 at 9:01 am
I’m not a Brady fan, but admit I’d buy season tickets for the first time since 2009 if Brady is the QB. All or nothing seasons are good theatre.