It did not come as a surprise to sports fans when Tom Brady announced his retirement in 2022. In fact, given the rumors that were swirling, it was just a matter of time until the GOAT made retirement official, thus ending his career that had more ups than downs, via a statement from the man himself. As such, at the end of January 2022, the football world bid adieu to Brady. Or so they thought.
On March 13, 2022, Brady stated that he was not ready to retire. Citing "unfinished business," Brady went on to say that his place "is still on the field and not in the stands." The news was met with excitement from both Buccaneers fans and teammates alike. And the hope was that Brady could bring home one more Super Bowl win before he would officially retire.
Unfortunately, the 2022 season was not overly impressive for the Buccaneers. While Brady was able to take the team to the playoffs, it was with a less than .500 record. And ultimately the Cowboys very easily beat the Bucs to end the season which led to retirement number two for Brady as well.
Now that retirement is official, fans wonder if the back and forth on the decision to leave caused havoc on potential earnings for Number 12 begging the question, have Tom Brady's multiple retirements helped or hurt his net worth?
Tom Brady's Net Worth
Brady played in the NFL for 23 seasons. That has led to the ability to amass quite a fortune through playing football alone. In fact, it is where the majority of his fortune has come from.
While the first years of playing football were not lucrative for Brady, as soon as the Patriots franchise saw the talent they had in their midst, that quickly changed.
The rookie quarterback who went from signing a three-year contract for less than $900,000 was resigned when his contract expired to a four-year contract worth just under $30 million.
As Brady got better, had more wins under his belt, and became more of a celebrity, every time he came up for the free agency he was resigned for more money. This was a trend throughout Brady's time with the Pats. But, when the Buccaneers came calling with an offer, it became one that Brady could not refuse.
For Brady to play for the Bucs for three years, he was offered nearly $80 million.
However, as a result of retiring after two years, Brady took home $50 million instead. And when he decided to come back for the 2022 season, it was at a slightly decreased rate of $25 million.
As a result of his time playing football, Brady has amassed $293 million.
As a result of purchasing properties, expensive toys, living a certain lifestyle, and other expenditures that have come his way, it is estimated that Brady's net worth stands at around $250 million. That number, however, is about to dramatically change.
What Tom Brady Is Expected To Make Working At Fox Sports
After his first retirement, Brady had job offers coming in left and right. Many of which involved sportscasting. But given that he was obviously still wrestling with the decision to retire, Brady stated that he was not interested in a job off the field. Brady eventually changed his mind about the gig that will apparently pay him handsomely.
"Initially, I told them I didn’t want to do it," Brady explained about the job offer from Fox Sports.
"There was a lot of different emotions. I couldn’t make the decision from the place where I needed to be. For the first time, I was a free agent in life."
Brady went on to say, "I had lots of different people say, 'You’re free now; we’d love to have you involved in' — different parts of football, broadcasting, business and finance."
However, since there was still the passion to play, none of the offers sounded right to Brady.
Fox Sports was persistent. And in time, Brady came around to the idea of being a sportscaster after he retired. As a result, he inked a deal with the organization to the tune of $375 million over the course of 10 years.
And because of this, Brady's net worth is going to do nothing but climb for the next decade.
Endorsements Continue To Pay Well For Tom Brady
As if Brady needed more money, there is yet still more that helps to contribute to his overall wealth. And that comes in the form of endorsements.
After Brady retired for the first time, he was not dropped by any of the companies he was the spokesman for. In fact, he was going to continue to be the face for brands such as Molecule Mattress, Hertz Rental Car, UGG, IWC Watches, Tag Heuer, Subway, Under Armor, and many, many more.
When he decided to come out of retirement, that was not something that hurt his relationship with his sponsors at all. After all, they were getting at least another year with the GOAT actively playing, thus making their brands more relevant. And the more relevant the brands are to consumers, the more product is sold making for a solid and lucrative endorsement relationship.
Along with endorsements, Brady has his own healthcare line, TB12 Sports. It promotes a mostly plant-based lifestyle to help keep the body running in tip-top condition and free from injuries. The motto seems to have worked well in Brady's life, given the longevity of his football career.
While multiple retirements may have hurt some athletes when in their prime, nothing of the sort happened to Brady. He came away from his decision to not retire unscathed. And with his decision to move to Fox Sports beginning this next football season, Brady's future is looking quite bright indeed.