Imagine if professional athletes were stocks you could invest in, instead of human beings making a salary from their team.  Is there any question who the Apple, or Tesla, in thigh pads, cleats and a helmet would be? 

Of course, it would be the G.O.A.T., Tom Brady of the Tampa Bay Bucs, a blue chip stock, tech stock, and GameStop all rolled into one. 

Patrick Mahomes wouldn’t be far behind. When the Chiefs and Bucs play Sunday in what will be the single-greatest matchup of quarterbacks in the history of the Super Bowl, Brady will have the honor of being the highest-paid, deservedly so. His salary of $25 million puts him at the top, but he’s got a number of incentives that will give him the opportunity to make a whole lot more.

Since Brady is the ultimate winner, he bet on himself, and negotiated a number of bonuses into his contract, based on how far he leads his team.  He earned $750,00 for the wild card win over Washington.  $1.25 million for making the NFC Championship game, and another $1.75 for getting to the Super Bowl by beating Green Bay last week. If his team wins Sunday, the Bucs cut another check to Brady for $2.25 million.  Plus, like every other player, he gets $130,00 from the NFL as a Super Bowl bonus.  That’s a grand total of $6,130,000 just in bonuses for Brady for bringing the Vince Lombardi Trophy home.

And he’s still underpaid!  Mahomes is going to go from being well off to filthy rich very soon. He signed an NFL record-breaking 10-year contract that will pay him and average salary of $45 million. Based on his value to his team and league, he’d still be underpaid, he’s that good, and that irreplaceable.

Brady and Mahomes put their life and future on the line almost every weekend playing the most physically demanding sport in the world. And even though they wear helmets they are still global stars and household names.

They’d both be billionaires a dozen or more times over if they were an actual stock, and not quarterbacks, based on their incredible performance.

What’s crazy is when you look at what athletes in other American sports leagues earn in comparison to Brady and Mahomes, the ultimate winners, superstars and achievers.

Brace yourself for what’s coming next, it might make your mind spin. In the NBA, a player who was once drafted No. 1 overall and is considered one of the biggest busts and disappointments in the entire league is named Andrew Wiggins.  He is the 25th highest paid player in the NBA, and makes almost $5 million more than Brady. His annual salary for the Golden State Warriors is $29,542.

But wait, there’s more. Tom Brady has been to 10 Super Bowls and won six, and it could be seven in a matter of hours.  Chris Paul of the Phoenix Suns, like Mahomes, appears in television commercials for an insurance company, but he doesn’t need the side hustle, since he’s the second-highest paid player in the NBA, pulling down $41,358,814 this season.  He’s led his teams over the past 13 seasons to a grand total of 0 championships.  Hasn’t even sniffed the NBA Finals once.

If you’re asking yourself, if Tom Brady makes $25 million per season with his base salary, what MLB and NBA players are in that same earnings bracket and make the same amount? Well, since you asked, Jrue Holiday of the Milwaukee Bucks, the 44th-highest paid player in the NBA, is earning $25,876 this season; and he’s the third-highest paid player ON HIS OWN TEAM!

Another non-champ, Khris Middleton, will earn $33,051 for not leading the Bucks to a title this year, and Giannis Antetokounmpo will bank $27,528.

Major League Baseball players, you’re next, and when it comes to comparisons in your earnings compared to Brady, and Mahomes for that matter, you should utter the words of Wayne and Garth, the stars of Wayne’s World played by Mike Myers and Dana Carvey who will be appearing in a Super Bowl commercial Sunday; “We’re not worthy.”

Trevor Bauer signed a free agent contract Friday to pitch for the Dodgers the next three seasons. He’s the highest paid MLB player in 2021 at $40 million. 

If you’re looking for a comp to Brady, and his $25 million salary in 2020, that would be Joey Votto of the Cincinnati Reds.  A great guy, good player, but also a first baseman who has appeared in a grand total of 11 playoff games, and has never won a playoff series! Brady will have played in 10 Super Bowls. Votto is making $25 million in 2021, and his career earnings when his contract expires in 2024 will be $263,193,759. (there are no typos in that sentence)

So enjoy the Super Bowl Sunday, and instead of looking at the jersey numbers and following the passing stats for Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes, keep in mind the greatest quarterback of all time, and the guy on track to be the second, are making salaries of $25 million and $10 million this season. 

Great money, no question about that, but almost comical when compared to players in other American sports leagues, and a fraction what they would get if they were stocks on Wall Street.

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