Tom Brady explains why he doesn't mind making $20 million less than the top-paid quarterback in the NFL

Tom Brady is the greatest quarterback to ever play football.Despite winning six Super Bowls, Brady is just the 18th highest-paid quarterback in the NFL, making $20 million less annually than Russell Wilson will next season.Appearing on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” Brady explained that he doesn't mind taking less money because it allows the Patriots to surround him with better players and keeps their dynasty going.Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.Tom Brady has won six Super Bowls in his career with the New England Patriots and safely cemented himself as the greatest quarterback of all time.But despite Brady's accomplishments on the field, he has not received the type of superstar quarterback contract that now seemingly comes standard with football's most important position.Russell Wilson recently became the highest-paid player in the NFL with a deal that averages $35 million a year to keep him in Seattle until 2024. Brady's current contract is worth just $15 million annually.While Brady could certainly demand a higher salary, as he explains it, he doesn't especially need the extra money, and his life on the field is made easier because he is willing to take a cheaper deal.Appearing on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” on Thursday, Brady said that what matters most to him is winning.Read more: Jimmy Kimmel had Tom Brady break Matt Damon's window with a football in the latest move in their long-standing prank war“I think the thing I've always felt for me, and my life, winning has been a priority — and my wife makes a lot of money,” Brady joked. “I'm a little smarter than you think.”Brady went on to say that his contract really came down to the salary cap, and wanting to keep the Patriots dynasty going.“Actually, it's the salary cap — you can only spend so much,” Brady told Kimmel. “The more one guy gets, it's less for others. For a competitive advantage standpoint, I like to get a lot of good players around me.”You can watch Brady's appearance below.Youtube Embed: //www.youtube.com/embed/R4QLk-jATZs Width: 560px Height: 315pxBrady has been up front about his logic to taking smaller contracts in the past, and has often cited winning as his main motivation.Read more: Tom Brady sacrificed at least $60 million in his career with discounted contracts for the PatriotsIt's clear that Brady could be making millions more through the NFL if he wanted to, but between the money he earns from endorsements and his “TB12” line of products, there's plenty of income for him to make that doesn't come with the zero-sum burden of the NFL salary cap.Read more from Tyler Lauletta:Rob Gronkowski did a Rob Gronkowski thing when he used the Lombardi trophy as a baseball bat and left a huge dentThe person who won $1.19 million by betting $85,000 on Tigers Woods to win the Masters had never bet on sports on beforeA dog named Cactus wandered off from his home and decided to run an ultramarathon through the desertI'm a Philly native who tried 4 of the city's best cheesesteaks in one day — here's the verdict