Just when you thought you’d seen the last of Tom Brady in the NFL, he’s back again. The five-time Super Bowl MVP is not coming out of retirement again, but he will be making his broadcast debut with Fox Sports as the network’s lead color commentator.
Brady will kick off his analyst era during the league’s opening weekend game between the Cleveland Browns and the Dallas Cowboys on Sept. 8. Former NFL player-turned-TV personality Michael Strahan made the announcement with Brady during Fox’s media upfront presentation Monday night.
“Obviously having the Cowboys on is a huge draw as ‘America’s Team’ — that’s going to get a little hard for me to say that all the time,” Brady said during the announcement.
“But in this new role, I know the Cowboys, how important that they are to this network. They got great storylines. Come on, Dak Prescott — let’s see if he can finally come through. One of the great defensive players. Did that just slip out?” he continued, taking a comedic jab toward the Cowboys’ quarterback in what could be a little preview of his commentary style.
According to Sports Illustrated and other outlets, Brady signed a 10-year, $375 million deal with Fox back in 2022. It took many by surprise since the quarterback had just announced at the time he was un-retiring to play another season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
But Fox Sports said the position would be available for him when he finally decided to step off the field for real.
The seven-time Super Bowl champion, long considered one of the greatest players of all time, officially retired from the game after the 2022 season, but he took a year off before he said he’d start his broadcasting role. During an interview on “The Herd” with Colin Cowherd, a Fox Sports radio show, Brady announced he’d finally join the Fox team in Fall 2024.
Brady will offer color commentary, which means he will have more analysis and interesting comments during games, alongside Fox Sports’ lead play-by-play voice, Kevin Burkhardt.
The full schedule for the NFL’s 2024 season won’t be released until Wednesday, but the league has already teased some of the games slated for Week 1.
The defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs will open the season at home against the Baltimore Ravens on Sept. 5.
ABC announced its first “Monday Night Football” game on Sept. 9 will feature the San Francisco 49ers hosting Aaron Rodgers and the New York Jets. His 2023 season notoriously ended when he ruptured his Achilles tendon just four snaps into the season-opening game against the Buffalo Bills.
The Miami Dolphins will host the Buffalo Bills on Sept. 12 for “Thursday Night Football” on Prime Video, announced Amazon.
CBS said the Cincinnati Bengals will take on the Chiefs on Sept. 15 for a Week 2 matchup on its network.
