After all, it was the quarterback's 126th career win, including 14 in the playoffs, and his Hall of Fame-caliber nerves are a major reason why the Patriots showered him with a cool $72 million. Of course, Brady wouldn’t exactly scoff at that kind of cake — one day before signing the deal, he said he hates hearing other players say it's not about the money — but he knows the money is a byproduct of success.
More importantly, Brady is still one of those professional athletes who is genuinely more happy about the "W" than the dollar sign.
"I’m more excited about the win, to tell you the truth," Brady said during Sunday's postgame news conference. "That’s really what it comes down to. Contracts always take care of themselves, and I think what I was most excited about was talking about football. That’s what’s most important to me and winning games and celebrating with my teammates."
For one, Brady understands how difficult it is to win a game — from the work in training camp, at practice, in film study and so on and so forth — and that Bengals matchup was an instant measuring stick for a Patriots team that had a lot of question marks. For the Pats to play so well right off the bat, Brady had to feel a more heightened sense of gratification.
If Brady didn’t love the feeling of victory, he would have held out, or sent a message with a quiet strike at practice or during a preseason game like some of his antagonists believed he should. Yet, Brady — as much of a one-man corporation as he's become — isn’t about those kinds of charades.
He doesn’t complain about the quality of the cut of steak he puts on his dinner table, or his great-grandchildren's college funds or the respect he needs from his peers who crave his bank account. It's not that Brady doesn’t care about those things. He just has his priorities.
Brady is a winner, both from September through February and March through August. That’s why he handled his business in a professional manner and stayed true to his character throughout the duration of a process that had to be stressful.
And Brady worked — on the field, all summer, with the intention of beating the Bengals and plenty of other teams. Such a simple ideology, and it paid off for a results-based pro.
Now, Brady can get back to the hard work and the stuff that matters most.
"I love being here. I really do. I love playing for this organization," Brady said. "If you like winning games, it’s a great place."
