Tom Brady appears to have it all: respect from his coaches and teammates; a devoted fan base; one of the world’s most beautiful women for a wife; Three Super bowl rings and an MVP Trophy.

And he can now add a lucrative contract extension to that list.

Brady and the Patriots are close to a deal that will make the franchise player one of the richest in the NFL and a Patriot for life. The holdup appears to be due to the economic uncertainties of the new NFL collective bargaining agreement.

The Irish-American athlete is showing no signs of dissension as he dutifully showed up to rookie training camp on Sunday.

Surprisingly,despite his hall-of-fame credentials, Brady’ s name will not be found on Sport’s Illustrated List of the 50 Highest Paid Athletes. He is also not among the three highest paid quarterbacks in the league.

According to sources Brady is paid a base salary of $3.5 million a year along with a $3 million roster bonus. In comparison Ben Roethlisberger and Michael Vick have contracts worth over $100 million. This year’s number one pick, Sam Bradford, will net $40-50 million guaranteed.

Brady will certainly earn his big payday by continuing to lead the Pats to the playoffs and garnering more accolades.