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Tom Brady Was the Highest-Paid Player in the 2021 Super Bowl, Earning $25 Million a Year

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The Tampa Bay Buccaneers won their second ever Super Bowl on Sunday, defeating the Kansas City Chiefs at the Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida.

Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady was the highest-paid player in this year's game, with an average annual salary of $25 million, according to data from sports contract website Spotrac. That's a few million less than the highest-paid player in Super Bowl LIV, 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, who earned $27.5 million last season.

Brady received a pay increase this season after parting with the New England Patriots, the team he had spent his entire career with prior to transferring to the Buccaneers last March. For the 2019 season, Brady earned around $23 million.

The exact salary of an NFL player varies from year to year depending on many factors, including their base contract, NFL salary caps, bonuses, performance incentives and endorsement deals. While Brady earns an average salary of $25 million under his current two-year contract, what he actually earns varies.

Brady's contract includes a number of bonus incentives, including $750,000 for a wild card win, $1.25 million for winning an NFC Championship and $1.75 million for reaching the Super Bowl, all of which he achieved in the 2020 season.

The Buccaneers win on Sunday also qualifies Brady for a $2.25 million bonus. That's in addition to the $130,000 each player on the winning team receives from the NFL.

In July, Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes signed a record-breaking 10-year contract extension, which will earn him an average annual salary of $45 million, starting next season. The average annual salary for his contract that is set to end in 2021 is $4.1 million.

Despite being the highest-paid player in this year's Super Bowl, Brady is tied for the fifteenth-highest salary in the NFL overall.

This story has been updated to reflect the results of Super Bowl LV.

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