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Jalen Brunson inspired by Derek Jeter, Tom Brady, Patrick Mahomes in new deal

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Jalen Brunson inspired by Derek Jeter, Tom Brady, Patrick Mahomes in new deal

Jalen Brunson’s $156.5 million extension with the New York Knicks may have been a recent NBA revelation, but there’s some key context that seems to have inspired the deal.

As part of his reporting on Brunson’s innovative contract to stay in the Big Apple, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski suggested that the MVP candidate reviewed other generational sports icons’ contracts across the other three major American sports.

“Brunson’s study of championship organizations and franchise stars — Patrick Mahomes’ Kansas City Chiefs, the Tom Brady New England Patriots and the Derek Jeter New York Yankees — gave him a blueprint for MVP-level players who structured contracts to give their teams the best chances at sustainable title runs,” Wojnarowski wrote.

Jalen Brunson joins a long line of sports legends to take less money to help the team win. Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

Across six championship-winning seasons in New England, Brady was rarely among the highest-paid quarterbacks in the sport.

For example, even after bumping his average annual value from $9 million to $20.5 million in 2016, Brady still sat only 12th among quarterbacks in AAV.

That selflessness enabled New England to keep stars like Rob Gronkowski, Julian Edelman, Nate Solder and Dont’a Hightower for a myriad of seasons.

Meanwhile, Jeter signed a three-year, $51 million deal on the heels of his 10-year, $189 million contract, slightly dropping his annual payday so that the Yankees could keep players like Alex Rodriguez, C.C. Sabathia and Mark Teixeira.

Tom Brady often took pay cuts to keep key players. Getty Images
Derek Jeter #2 of the New York Yankees speaks to the media prior to the game against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park on September 26, 2014 in Boston, Massachusetts. Getty Images

The latest of the three is Mahomes, who restructured his 10-year, $503 million deal this offseason to generate over $21 million in cap space.

While Mahomes doesn’t even rank among the top-five annual salaries in the NFL anymore, his magnanimous choice allowed the two-time defending champion Chiefs to retain defensive tackle Chris Jones, plus add receiver Marquise Brown.

Patrick Mahomes #15 of the Kansas City Chiefs warms up prior to an NFL football game against the Denver Broncos at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium on October 12, 2023 in Kansas City, Missouri. Getty Images

Although the results were generally not as fruitful for Jeter in the baseball realm, Mahomes and Brady have proven clear examples of stars opting for less in order to build a more well-rounded roster — and one good enough to win multiple titles.

With Brunson saving the Knicks over $37 million in cap space courtesy of his deal, the team should be able to continue to stay aggressive — as it has this offseason via trading for Mikal Bridges and keeping O.G. Anunoby.

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