Tom Brady stuck his neck out for Antonio Brown again Sunday -- and helped the wide receiver earn a nice chunk of change.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers led the Atlanta Falcons 44-27 with 2:14 remaining in their season finale Sunday and simply needed to salt away the clock to wrap up their 11-5 season.
Brady and the Bucs offense did that -- by throwing three consecutive shovel passes to Brown for gains of three, six and two yards to pick up their final first down of the game.
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How Brady earned an extra half-million dollars Sunday
Why target Brown on three plays in a row instead of just running the ball? Because those three catches gave Brown 45 on the season, which according to ESPN's Adam Schefter will earn him a cool $250,000 bonus.
That incentive seemed out of reach entering Sunday: Brown came into the game with 34 receptions and hadn't caught more than five passes in a game since Week 11.
But the veteran wide receiver miraculously caught exactly 11 balls for 138 yards and two touchdowns Sunday to hit the 45-catch mark on the nose.
New England Patriots
Top wide receiver Mike Evans left Sunday's game early with a knee injury, so there was a receiving void to fill. But it sure looked like Brady was doing his former New England Patriots teammate a solid by targeting Brown a season-high 14 times, including three in a row on the final possession.
Brown has burned plenty of bridges over the last two-plus seasons, but he clearly has an advocate in Brady -- and is a wealthier man because of that.
Be sure to catch Tampa Bay take on Washington in an NFC Wild Card matchup Saturday night at 8:15 p.m. ET on NBC10 Boston. Pregame coverage starts at 7:30 p.m. ET with Football Night in America.