Tom Brady calls out 'ignorant' NFL players, slams NFLPA for agreeing to salary cap cuts
Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady slammed the NFLPA on Instagram for agreeing on terms to reduce the salary cap for the upcoming season before the league announced its new media deals this offseason.
In March, the NFL and NFLPA agreed on terms to set the salary cap at $182.5 million for the 2021 NFL season, an 8%, or $15.7 million, reduction from the previous year. The 8% cut was indicative of the financial losses that the league and its teams incurred due to the pandemic.
However, just ten days later, the NFL announced a mammoth 11-year, $113 billion deal with its television partners that will commence during the 2023 NFL season.
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Brady's comments suggest that the NFLPA made a glaring mistake by agreeing to terms for the salary cap reduction before learning about the new TV deals.
NFL team values soar despite the pandemic
The NFL suffered a 20% drop in revenue during the 2020 season, but the new TV deal has seemingly negated the effects.
Per Forbes, the value of each NFL team has increased by at least 14% over the past year, the biggest gain in half a decade. The Dallas Cowboys, who missed last season's playoffs, were the biggest gainers and continue to be the most valuable sports franchise in the world at $6.5 billion, 23% more than the New England Patriots, who are next-highest with a valuation of $5 billion.
The new TV deal certainly helped the cause. According to Forbes, when the new broadcast deal kicks in, the TV revenue will go up by 82%. Brady called NFL players "ignorant" because they agreed to make less money in 2021 than last year despite the league and the team making mammoth monetary gains.
In May, the NFL and NFLPA agreed to increase the salary cap ceiling to $208.2 million for the 2022 season. But that has certainly not impressed Brady, who did not hold back in his criticism of the NFLPA.
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