Tom Brady has long had a reputation for being a great teammate. On Sunday, we saw another example of what makes him so great to play with.
Brady insisted upon remaining in his Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Week 18 game against the Carolina Panthers late. CBS cameras caught Brady on the sideline late in the fourth quarter refusing to come out of the game despite his Bucs holding a two-touchdown lead.
Brady knew that tight end Rob Gronkowski was one catch short of 55 for the season. Gronkowski would receive a $500,000 bonus for hitting that mark, and Brady wanted to make sure his tight end got it.
Tom Brady didn't want to get out of the game until he got Rob Gronkowski one more reception for a $500K incentive. pic.twitter.com/B3HdJnf0E8
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) January 10, 2022
If there was any doubt that Brady’s reason for staying in was to get Gronkowski his bonus, it became clear after the play. Brady didn’t even finish the drive, as Blaine Gabbert replaced him immediately after Gronkowski’s seventh and final catch of the game.
Brady and Gronkowski go way back, so it’s not a huge shock that the quarterback wanted to look out for his tight end. There is no doubt that Bruce Arians wanted Brady on the bench in a meaningless fourth quarter with the playoffs looming, but that simply was not happening. No wonder Gronk appears to have tied his future so tightly to his quarterback’s.
Ironically, contract incentives were supposedly a big factor in setting off Antonio Brown last Sunday. Had Brown waited it out, Brady probably would have seen to it that he hit his targets as well.
