How did Tom Brady's agents extract $375 million from FOX Sports, $75 million more than he's earned in his entire playing career?
The money — along with the number of years — was the only way to get Brady.
You see, leverage isn't just created by how good you are. It's also created by how much money you have.
And while $20 million a year is plenty to nail Tony Romo or Troy Aikman, Brady is in an entirely different income bracket.
Combine his salary and endorsements with wife Gisele Bundchen's earnings, add in shares of companies that Brady has a sizable piece of — namely TB12 and his Brady clothing line — and the gross total has easily surpassed $1 billion.
So Tom Brady isn't doing TV for $20 million. At $20 million, TV is a distraction. At $37.5 million a year, which is the rate he'll get according to the New York Post's Andrew Marchand, it's an incredible payday that can't be missed.
The question now: What is Brady doing by waiting? He's coming back to the NFL for $10.3 million to take another year of wear and tear when he can make more than three times that in the booth?
His legacy on the field is secure. Waiting makes absolutely no sense.
I'm not sure the actual numbers make sense for FOX, either. I assume Brady got some screen test, but I'm not so sure he's going to be good. Yes, Tony Romo is fantastic. But Drew Brees is not. Joe Montana had a hard time criticizing his colleagues in his lone broadcasting season in 1995.
People watch based on who is playing and Brady will obviously get an A-Team assignment, so it will be hard to tell if he's ever moving the needle. The idea that an analyst can draw eyeballs based on their name alone is few and far between — save for Gus Johnson and Bill Walton on Pac-12 late night basketball for a laugh.
Brady will likely not be worth what he is getting paid, but the fact that Brady had leverage by saying "pay up or I walk" is the reason he got historic money.
