Will Tom Brady follow the footsteps of Michael Jordan and buy a sports franchise?
Tom Brady has officially stepped away from the game of football at the age of 44. He has spent his entire adolescent and adult life in the game, so the transformation has been immense for him. The question is: what comes next?
Being a living NFL legend, Brady has a ton of options to choose from. He can have any broadcast job he wants, and he can land just about any endorsement out there — he is already promoting his new clothing brand just days after retiring.
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But what if he wants to stay in the game of football? He could be a coach, or even a GM, but such a job also means he could get fired. One step to avoid such a headache would be buying a team.
We have seen this before in the NBA with Michael Jordan. Jordan bought a minority stake in the Charlotte Hornets back when they were the Bobcats. That then transitioned into a majority stake of 97 percent of team shares, and Jordan remains the top shareholder in the organization today.
Of course, such an expedition requires enormous wealth. Jordan was the top athlete of his time and had the necessary money to invest a good amount into a sports franchise. Can Brady do the same?
Tom Brady has a path to professional sports ownership
The quarterback famously took pay cuts throughout his career. However, his net worth is still reported to be roughly $250 million. His wife, Gisele Bundchen, has a net worth of $400 million. So on his own, Brady commands a large fortune. Combining his worth with his wife's makes him part of one of the top power couples in America.
It is entirely possible Brady could look to be part of an NFL ownership group. He just does not have the money right now to buy a team on his own. That privilege is reserved for billionaires.
If he does want to buy a team, the question arises of where he could do that. The New England Patriots seem like an obvious fit, given all that he has done for the franchise and his personal and almost family-like relationship with owner Robert Kraft. But there must be shares for sale to even have a chance to buy.
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That means it's possible he just jumps at the first opportunity available. The former quarterback now lives in Florida, so he could target the Tampa Bay Buccaneers or the Miami Dolphins. Those two, along with the Patriots, seem like top potential options.
In the meantime, he can continue to rake in wealth through his name and all the business associated with it. Continuing to build his own business will only add to his net worth, making him a more likely candidate to buy a stake in the ownership of an NFL team.
Getting that necessary money and finding a good fit will ultimately determine whether or not he follows in Jordan's footsteps.