If there is one athlete to model your career on, Tom Brady is probably the man to do it on.
Arguably the greatest winner in the history of sports,
Brady was able to win a record seven Super Bowl's over 23 seasons in a league that makes it difficult to repeat success with a hard salary cap and the constant turnover of players.
A big reason as to why Brady was able to win sustainable throughout his career - besides his level of elite play -
was his decisions in the off-season. While being the best quarterback in the league, Brady was never the highest-paid player and was never really close to the top earners.
Instead, the legendary quarterback regularly chose to take less money in order for the team to keep other key players around.
Should Brady have become the top earner, the salary cap would have made it difficult for him to keep all of his star teammates.
This has been almost exclusively the case for other teams once they win a Super Bowl,
with players departing for larger contracts once their star quarterback gets the big deal.
In recent weeks, the Philadelphia Eagles ( Jalen Hurts ) and Baltimore Ravens ( Lamar Jackson ) made their quarterbacks the highest paid players in NFL history.
And while they are deserving of those deals,
And while they are deserving of those deals,