Tom Brady signed a contract “extension” Sunday, and the talking heads are all over it.
The New England Patriots quarterback reportedly agreed to a two-year deal, which, in reality, is somewhat fraudulent. The Patriots basically can rip up the contract after each of the next two years, meaning Brady and the only franchise he ever has played for likely will be back at the negotiating table next summer. For all intents and purposes, Brady is getting an $8 million raise and the Patriots are gaining roughly $5.5 million in cap space — that’s it.
But that hasn’t stopped the Brady worshipers — particularly Skip Bayless — from presenting the contract as an actual “extension” and reviving the “Brady deserves so much credit for always taking less” conversation.
That in and of itself would be whatever, but when the Brady situation is used as a weapon to beat LeBron James and similarly high-paid NBA players, we’ve really jumped the shark.
Check out some of this nonsense from Bayless:
Tom Brady continues to take far less ($23 mil) than the top QBs make, saving his team another $5.5 in cap space to upgrade other positions. LeBron James, who constantly complains about not having enough help, continues to insist on the max: $37.4 next year, then 39.2, then 41.
— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) August 5, 2019
LeBron constantly complains about not having enough help, something you never hear from Brady. It perplexes me. Why wouldn't LeBron take less money, who has made more than a billion dollars? Are you playing for rings, or are you just playing for stats? More @Undisputed now on FS1 https://t.co/WDzfCquoYc
— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) August 5, 2019
Tom Brady's sole goal at age 42 is obviously only to win rings, not stats. He's not a stat freak. He's not going to out-stat anybody at age 42 or any age. He's just going to out-ring people. More @Undisputed now on FS1 https://t.co/kduasDI6sZ
— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) August 5, 2019
Shannon Sharpe, as you might expect, felt differently.
Take a look:
"The Lakers pay LeBron $35M. How much do you think LeBron makes the Lakers? You think Brady only makes the Patriots $15M? He's No. 1 in jersey sales, why do you think that stadium is packed? … Even though they gave him an $8M raise, that's still not his value." — @ShannonSharpe pic.twitter.com/EzBxtR5uai
— The Facility (@TheFacilityFS1) August 5, 2019
Forget the Brady contract for a second. And if you want to give the 42-year-old credit for not being one of the five highest-paid quarterbacks in the NFL, go nuts. You’re ignoring the fact that Brady doesn’t exactly sound thrilled with the deal, but you do you.
Brady’s ‘extension’ was simply a placeholder for the 2019 season that gives the QB a raise and the Patriots more cap space. https://t.co/WfDtolDzUs
— Mark Daniels (@ByMarkDaniels) August 5, 2019
The fact that Bayless is shaming James for trying to make as much money as he possibly can is, frankly, embarrassing. Excluding professional sports, are there any careers on Earth where people are expected to take less than the most money they could possibly get?
You have one life. Make as much money as you possibly can. We don’t see Bayless taking pay cuts at FS1 so the network can add highly skilled, supplemental talent — producers, cameramen, whatever — to “Undisputed.”
Then again, his job is to sit at the desk and play a role. Who knows if he really believes any of the crap he says.
