Can't touch this. Tom Brady has updated his contract with the New England Patriots, and it will protect him after the 2015 Deflategate scandal.
The quarterback, 38, signed a two-year extension with the team through the 2019 season. According to CBS Sports, the terms protect Brady from the crazy deflated footballs scandal that rocked the Patriots — and the NFL — in 2015.
ESPN first reported that Brady will get a signing bonus of $28 million, which will offset his updated annual salaries of $1 million in 2016 and 2017. Then in 2018 and 2019, Brady's salary will be bumped up to $14 million. If for any reason, he was to be suspended by the NFL for the Deflategate scandal, Brady wouldn't lose as much money due to his lower annual salaries. He previously earned $9 million as a base salary per year.
Overall, the 2015 Super Bowl champ gets a hefty raise. He was slated to make $19 million over the next two seasons, and now, he will get $30 million.
Brady's triumphant signing follow a less-than-perfect year. Last spring, Brady was suspended by the league for being "at least generally aware" of tampered footballs prior to the AFC championship game against the Indianapolis Colts. The perfectionist athlete got so upset about the scandal that his anger issues boiled over to his marriage to Gisele Bundchen.
"Tom’s become very nasty and irritable and started acting out on her," a source told Us last summer. Us Weekly exclusively revealed that the supermodel, 35, threatened to divorce her husband while their issues played out.
Ultimately, a judge overturned Brady's suspension and he was able to open the season with the Pats. Matters at home also cooled off. In November, Bundchen reflected back on that trying time in an interview with CBS This Morning.
"I think we've been through a few tough times together," the mom of Benjamin, 6, and Vivian, 3, told host Charlie Rose. "I think that's when you know who are your friends and who loves you. My father always said the quality of your life depends on the quality of your relationships, and I think, no matter how challenging it was, we've always been supportive of one another. I think that's the most important thing you can have in life, you know? A support system and love."
