Tom Brady's move ensures Rob Gronkowski's $1m bonus in Bucs game

07 January 2024 , 18:27

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Tom Brady ensured Rob Gronkowski hit his milestones to trigger financial incentives (Image: Getty Images)

NFL legend Tom Brady showed his true colours when he insisted on staying in a game to help teammate Rob Gronkowski earn an extra $1 million (£790,000).

Brady, who has won the Super Bowl seven times, and Gronkowski formed one of the greatest touchdown-scoring duos in league history.

They've won four championships together, with Gronkowski being Brady's most reliable target. He caught 105 touchdown passes in both regular season and playoffs. This is the second-highest number between a duo in NFL history, only surpassed by Peyton Manning and Marvin Harrison.

When Brady moved to the Bucs in 2020, Gronkowski came out of retirement to join him, winning Super Bowl LV during his two seasons there before retiring.

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Gronkowski needed seven catches and 85 receiving yards in the final regular season game of the 2021 NFL season against the Carolina Panthers to trigger two separate bonuses. Despite the Bucs already being NFC South champions, Brady stayed in the game until Gronkowski hit his target. Gronkowski joked on the sideline: "If I don't get the seventh catch, I have to go get a real job".

The Buccaneers had their eyes on resting key players as they'd already clinched the NFC's No. 2 spot, but Brady was having none of it. He insisted on staying in the game to help Gronkowski earn a big cash bonus. Brady was seen telling off his coaches to keep him on instead of bringing on backup Blaine Gabbert.

Thanks to Brady, Gronkowski got a quick pass to haul in a 55th catch of the season, and that meant the bonus was secured. The tight end ended up with seven catches for 137 yards, and Brady excelled with 326 yards and three touchdowns, completing an amazing 78 percent of his throws. The Bucs crushed the Panthers, earning a 41-17 win.

https://www.mirror.co.uk/all-about/los-angeles-rams (Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

After the match, Gronk said he'd splash some of his bonus on a meal for his teammates, but not for Brady. He told the press: "I'm going to have to bring out all the tight ends to dinner. A couple of the quarterbacks - I don't bring Tom out, I'll bring the backups out to dinner."

The Bucs then went on to beat Jalen Hurts and the Philadelphia Eagles in the playoffs, but lost to the eventual Super Bowl champions, the Los Angeles Rams. Gronkowski hung up his boots after that season, and a year later, Brady did the same.

Across his nine seasons with the Patriots, Gronkowski managed to secure double-digit touchdown receptions five times. His size and physicality made him unstoppable in the red zone, while his athleticism allowed him to dodge tackles in the open field, find gaps in zones, and outrun linebackers.

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Andrew Gamble