Patrick Mahomes and Tom Brady might have more in common than they thought.
The New England Patriots quarterback’s free agency saga has been a hot topic for weeks, even when Super Bowl LIV probably should’ve been the main focus. Similarly, Mahomes has an important decision to make in the not-too-distant future, as the Kansas City Chiefs QB became eligible for a second contract as soon as the 2019 regular season ended.
Although the two superstars share a handful of Super Bowl records, Nick Wright made it very clear Wednesday on FS1’s “First Things First” that Mahomes should not follow in Brady’s footsteps when it comes to his next deal.
“There is going to be a narrative, and it’s going to be a wildly unfair narrative, that Patrick should do what Brady did and that Patrick should take less to help the team,” Wright said. “The history on Tom Brady doing that is incredibly inaccurate the way it’s been portrayed.”
There have been several instances over the years where Brady was paid early, which essentially is like him “taking a discount.” Generally, the longer a player waits to get to the end of a contract, the more money the deal is worth.
“There’s been one time in Brady’s career that he has pushed it close to the brink prior to this year. And guess what happened in 2010 when he did that? He became the highest-paid player in the NFL,” Wright said. “ … Tom Brady, $28 million per year. The next highest was Peyton Manning at $27.5.
“My point is, the reason that … other players are rooting for Patrick is because when a player does do what Brady did post-2010, which is take discounts, then teams can pressure players, ‘Well, you know what Tom did, he’s the GOAT, he played for $14 million.’ And that’s unfair, the owners locked the players out to keep the salary cap as low as possible and then on the back end say, ‘Well the salary cap’s not high enough, take less money.’
“Patrick should take every dollar he can get, he’s earned it.”
"There's going to be a narrative that Mahomes should do what Brady did — that Patrick should take less to help the team. The history on Brady doing that is incredibly inaccurate."
— @getnickwright breaks down Brady's contract history & why Mahomes shouldn't take a discount pic.twitter.com/sKiJI609d4
— First Things First (@FTFonFS1) February 5, 2020
This isn’t the first time Wright has had some bold opinions regarding Brady. He disrespected the six-time Super Bowl champion by naming Mahomes the most clutch quarterback he’s ever seen, and he also left Brady off his list of top playoff runs by a quarterback.
Although it’s unclear where Brady, who reportedly hasn’t discussed a new contract with the Patriots, will land, the 42-year-old made one thing clear: He’s not wearing a blazer to the Super Bowl next year.
