Appearing on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” on Thursday night, Tom Brady cheekily acknowledged what many think about the longtime New England Patriots quarterback:

He agrees to lower pay because his wife makes a good living.

‘You can only spend so much’

The 41-year-old, who was in California for much of the week — on Wednesday, he posted photos from UCLA, where he had a throwing session with some Bruins — went back-and-forth with Kimmel on a few topics until Kimmel got to the money question.

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, right, appeared on Jimmy Kimmel's late-night show on Thursday. (Getty Images) More

Noting that Brady is one of the lower-paid players at his position but is the most successful, Kimmel said, “Shouldn’t you be the highest-paid guy?”

“That’s a good question. That’s — usually when I don’t want to answer a question I always say, ‘Good question’,” Brady said. “I think the thing for me that I’ve always felt in my life is winning has been a priority, and my wife makes a lot of money.”

He laughed, and played to the crowd a bit.

“I’m a little smarter than you think.”

Then Brady turned serious, and gave the answer he’s long given: “Actually, there’s a salary cap, and you can only spend so much. And the more that you spend on one guy, there’s less for others. And I think, from a competitive advantage standpoint, I’d like to get a lot of good players around me.”

Brady jumps into a rivalry

Brady also jumped into the longstanding “feud” between Kimmel and actor Matt Damon, for a promo that was cut in advance of Brady’s visit:

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