Six-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady took time out of his busy offseason of riding horses in Costa Rica, getting over the loss of Rob Gronkowski and launching a Twitter account to visit "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" on Thursday night.
After sitting through a minute-long standing ovation from a Los Angeles-area but Patriots-friendly crowd, Brady answered myriad questions ranging on topics from his longevity and competitiveness to his relatively low salary.
On the latter subject, Brady explained to Kimmel why, in the age of record-breaking QB contracts, he remains the 18th highest-paid QB in AAV ($15 million).
"That's a good question. That's usually, when I don't want to answer a question, I always say, 'That's a good question,'" Brady said when asked why he isn't the highest-paid player in football. "I think the thing I've always felt for me in my life, winning has been a priority. And my wife [model Gisele Bundchen] makes a lot of money.
"I'm a little smarter than you think. Actually, it's a salary cap. You can only spend so much and the more that one guy gets is less for others. And for a competitive advantage standpoint, I like to get a lot of good players around me."
Brady is entering the final season of a two-year restructured contract signed in 2018 and carries a team-high $27 million cap hit in 2019.
The Pats QB also spoke about his offseason workout plan, which does not involve showing up to New England's voluntary programs, which began last week, but does apparently involve throwing to off-the-street receivers at UCLA.
"I feel like I always want to be ready to go," Brady said. "I can actually go enjoy myself if I'm in game shape. It wouldn't take me too long to get ready. But to have the ability to do that in the offseason and keep things sharp is still important to me.
"I think definitely [I'm trying] to improve. I feel like after all these years, there's a certain feeling you get when you throw the perfect pass. I'm sure that's like that in other careers, but when you're really on, you're nailing it, you want to repeat it."
Brady has said many times over the last few years that he wants to play until he's 45. The Patriots quarterback added that he's not tired of playing the position.
"Not to this point," Brady explained. "To be at the top to give your team a chance to win every season, you have to put a lot into it. I try to bring my best everyday. I try to be the best teammate, leader and also physically to stay prepared. No one wants someone that's taking up space.
"I've played a long time. Six [Super Bowls], I could never have imagined in my wildest dreams having acheived that. As a competitor, you get to line up and get to go after it again.
"Damnit, I want to win! What's wrong with winning?!"
In addition to sitting down in the host's studio, Brady, Kimmel and Patriots favorite Guillermo went out into Los Angeles to exhibit the quarterback's accuracy. Watch below as a future Hall of Famer throws a football through the window of Massachusetts native and "Stuck on You" and "We Bought a Zoo" star Matt Damon's home.
