NFL fans in awe of Tom Brady's $1,000 incentive for OL teammates: "Chess, not checkers"

Tom Brady is the most successful quarterback in NFL history and part of that was due to his contracts. Brady signed team-friendly, or restructured his deals, to ensure that he would have a team around him that would be successful. A former teammate of the quarterback has revealed an incentive he made his offensive lineman.

Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive guard Ali Marpet, who played two seasons with Tom Brady, was a guest on the "Wam Bam" podcast back in December 2023. He mentioned the quarterback would pay $1,000 cash for every screen play that went at least 15 yards.

"[Brady] took our starting offensive line to the side and he's like, 'Hey, if you guys can get a screen to go for more than 15 yards, I will give you $1,000 cash each. That is for you guys, so every time that we get that, I will be happy to make that payment.'"

Marpet went on to say that there were several times that the former quarterback did have to pay them. His comments recently went viral and fans on social media applauded Brady's initiative:

Other fans and users on X also commented, adding that they appreciated Brady taking care of the offensive line. The line is essential for the offense's success, yet is sometimes overlooked. Others referred to Brady as the "GOAT" for his gesture to his teammates.

"That's actually a great way to motivate the team lol," one fan stated.

"ALWAYS take care of the big boys upfront! They deserve the credit for the TDs just as much as the skill players," another NFL stated.

"The goat," one user professed.

Ali Marpet also shared that Tom Brady would give very expensive Christmas presents to his offensive line including luxury watches. Marpet credited his former quarterback for always taking care of his teammates.

Tom Brady led the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a Super Bowl win in his first season with the team. The next season he went on to hit a career-high 5,316 passing yards and 43 touchdown passes, the second-highest of his NFL career.

Did Tom Brady break an NFL rule by offering OL incentives?

Ali Marpet's interview has resurfaced in recent days and it appears that Brady may have broken an NFL rule by offering financial incentives. Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio writes that the NFL frowns upon incentives made among the team.

Florio stated that this stemmed from the New Orleans Saints' "Bountygate" scandal, where players were offered incentives for causing harm to opponents.

However, Florio doesn't believe the NFL will move forward with an investigation or punishment towards Tom Brady seeing as he and Marpet are both retired. As to whether they make a change to their policy in response to this remains to be seen.