Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady once privately offered cash to teammates for successful screen pass plays.
Ali Marpet, a former Buccaneers offensive lineman, shared that during the “Wam Bam” podcast in December 2023, which JoeBucsFan.com shared on Thursday. Marpet started on the offensive line for Brady’s first two years with the Buccaneers in 2020 and 2021.
“[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,’” Marpet said as transcribed by JoeBucsFan.com.
“‘That is for you guys; so every time that we get that, I will be happy to make that payment,’” Marpet added regarding what Brady told the linemen. “Are you kidding me? Like a little extra juice, so those kinds of things [Tom did to motivate].”
Marpet noted that the “screen game was absolutely abysmal as an offense” but didn’t specify what season per JoeBucsFan.com. The former lineman revealed that Brady had “independent meetings with the offense” to address it when the cash reward came about, JoeBucsFan.com wrote.
“There were definitely multiple 15,” Marpet said about the 15-yard screen play threshold. “So those kinds of things. Again, Tom just knowing how guys are wired and what goes a long way and inspiring and getting the most out of his guys.”
Buccaneers Rival Offered Cash Incentives Once & Paid the Price
Brady offering cash for a certain play wouldn’t be a first as JoeBucsFan.com points out. The New Orleans Saints had the Bountygate scandal in 2009 when players received cash for big hits, which got highlighted amid the team’s NFC Championship win over the Minnesota Vikings.
New Orleans leveled hits on former Vikings quarterback Brett Favre in that game en route to a 31-28 overtime win followed by a Super Bowl victory. The Saints got penalized after the season for the scandal, and former head coach Sean Payton sat out a year.
Cash incentives for successful screen plays likely won’t incur the same penalties from the NFL, especially years after the fact. Brady is retired as is former Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians for starters, and only three offensive starters remain from the 2020 and 2021 teams.
Ali Marpet Didn’t Return to Buccaneers After Tom Brady’s Return
Marpet retired after the 2021 season shortly after Brady’s first retirement. Despite speculation, Marpet decided to stay retired and not play Brady’s final season with the team in 2022.
The Buccaneers drafted Marpet out of Division III Hobart College with a second round pick in the 2015 draft. Marpet started at least 11 games in all of his pro seasons — 101 in all.
He earned Pro Bowl honors in his final season amid 16 starts for the fourth time in his career. Marpet said health was a deciding factor in the end for retirement.
“I loved playing football. But one of my strongest values is health and if I’m really going to live out what’s important to me it doesn’t make sense to keep playing,” Marpet told The Guardian’s Melissa Jacobs in 2022. “There are also the unknowns of the head trauma of the NFL and how that plays out. Plus, your joints, the aches and pains that come with surgeries and all that stuff.”
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