Did Tom Brady actually troll the Falcons with his new contract?
New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady still finds the score 28-3 amusing. Either that, or the numbers involved in his new two-year, $70 million extension are extremely convenient.
There are some who believe Brady managed to troll the Atlanta Falcons with his new extension. The deal will pay Brady $23 million in 2019, $30 million in 2020 and $32 million in 2021.
How does that troll the Falcons? Well, if you take those numbers and divide by three ... you get $28.3 million. That will be Brady’s average annual salary under the next extension. Brady and the Patriots either knew exactly what they were doing, or that’s a really specific coincidence.
Why is 28-3 significant? Because the Falcons led the Patriots 28-3 during Super Bowl LI. Atlanta collapsed in the second half, losing the contest 34-28.
OK, so maybe Brady’s annual salary doesn’t provide enough evidence that this is a thing. It’s possible this is nothing more than a conspiracy theory dreamed up by NFL fans who are so desperate to talk football that they’ll make anything a story.
But wouldn’t be the first time the Patriots referenced 28 and 3 to troll the Falcons. The team’s Super Bowl rings from that year had 283 diamonds. Falcons owner Arthur Blank wasn’t happy about that.
Not only that but, Brady’s contract isn’t really a two-year extension. Due to language in the deal, it’s essentially a one-year contract worth $23 million.
Sources: #Patriots QB Tom Brady’s new deal includes a provision that does not allow NE to franchise or transition tag him for the 2020 season. The final two years automatically void on the last day of the 2019 league year, but he cannot be tagged. Brady will be a free agent.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 5, 2019
Brady cannot be tagged with his new deal. And once the 2019 season ends, the final two years on Brady’s deal are void. They don’t exist.
That means even though Brady signed a two-year extension, he’ll be a free agent at the end of the 2019 season. It’s confusing, but that’s the way the deal is structured. It’s extremely similar to a deal signed by Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints.
It also means there was little purpose in Brady specifically getting $30 million in 2020 and $32 million in 2021. It makes it look more like those numbers were purposefully used to make Brady’s average salary equal $28.3 million.
Until the Patriots or Brady confirms this, fans will be left speculating on whether it’s actually true. But given the history, and the fact that Brady likes to have fun on social media, we wouldn’t put this one past him.
(Yahoo Sports NFL H/N: FTW)
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Chris Cwik is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at christophercwik@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik
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