Fox Sports is spending $375 million to bring Tom Brady into the broadcast booth, and the network wants everyone to notice his arrival.
The seven-time Super Bowl champion made his debut as an NFL analyst during Fox’s coverage of the regular-season opener between the Dallas Cowboys and the Cleveland Browns on Sunday.
Before the game, there was a hype video about Brady, and the studio team admitted they couldn’t help but “fanboy” over their new colleague.
“You’re a broadcaster, how about that!” said play-by-play announcer Kevin Burkhardt when the camera showed Brady, dressed in a coat and tie, making his first live appearance in the booth. The former Patriots and Buccaneers quarterback was introduced as a “7-time Super Bowl champion.”
Sideline reporter Erin Andrews let Dallas coach Mike McCarthy know that Brady had praised his play calling.
Charissa Thompson gave Brady a few mentions while updating scores from the game between Tampa Bay, one of his former teams, and the Washington Commanders.
Burkhardt joked that he paid extra attention to his hair because he knew there would be more shots of the broadcast booth.
“I do what they tell me. I understand that,” Brady said with a laugh. “I’m still a rookie in here.” To viewers, this was clear.
Brady’s commentary was knowledgeable, but it lacked the distinctive personality seen in other broadcasters—no Tony Romo predicting plays, no John Madden with his famous “Boom!” and turducken, and not even the quarter-zip sweaters that make Peyton Manning stand out among the many former athletes who have joined the media.
There were some awkward moments, like a cringey fist-bump with rules analyst Mike Pereira, and Brady frequently used players’ first names and referred to “Coach McCarthy” in a way that seemed overly respectful.
Brady avoided criticizing Cleveland receiver Amari Cooper when he missed a pass in the fourth quarter and made excuses for the Browns while trying to highlight any positives in their poor performance.
One X user tweeted, “Tom Brady is to broadcasting as Michael Jordan is to baseball.”
(Of course, Brady, who was a sixth-round draft pick and spent his first NFL season as the Patriots’ fourth-string quarterback, eventually became a successful quarterback.)
The game, which Dallas was dominating 27-3 early in the second half, was turning into a blowout, making it hard for even an experienced broadcaster to keep the audience interested. But Brady used his experience to help.
“There’s plenty of time left in this game,” said the quarterback who famously led the Patriots back from a 28-3 deficit in Super Bowl 51 against Atlanta. “Just the margin of error’s slim.”
At one point, Brady suggested that Deshaun Watson should throw to an open tight end, but the Browns quarterback missed the opportunity.
Brady played 23 years in the NFL before retiring after the 2022 season as the most decorated player in the league. He signed a 10-year deal with Fox Sports, taking over from the respected Greg Olsen as the network’s lead analyst.
Brady took last year off, which only increased curiosity about whether he could translate his on-field knowledge into broadcasting.
Before kickoff, a commercial showed Brady in various football uniforms talking to his current self, asking why he didn’t just enjoy the estimated $450 million he made during his career by “laying on a beach getting fat on pina coladas.”
“What they’re really asking is why don’t you quit football?” The helmeted Bradys respond, “They don’t understand that you live and breathe for football. Because you’re Tom Freaking Brady.” “And our football journey isn’t even close to done.”
“Back to work,” the current Brady says.
With five Super Bowl MVP awards from his seven NFL championship wins — six with New England and one with Tampa Bay — Brady proved himself as the greatest player in league history.
He retired holding career records for wins, playoff wins, passing touchdowns, playoff passing touchdowns, passing yards, and playoff passing yards, among other achievements.
Although he couldn’t completely avoid controversy during his career — most notably the two-year Deflategate scandal that led to a four-game suspension for cheating — Brady rarely made headlines for his words.
Brady’s new career has already faced a challenge because his attempt to buy a minority share in the Las Vegas Raiders means he won’t have the same access to team facilities, players, and coaches that other broadcasters get.
He must also follow league rules that prevent him from publicly criticizing officials and other teams, though he can still broadcast Raiders games.
The much-anticipated debut drew some attention away from the game between the defending NFC East champion Cowboys, who signed quarterback Dak Prescott to a record-setting four-year, $240 million contract earlier that day, and a Browns team not expected to make the playoffs.
As the final 30 seconds ticked down on the Cowboys’ 33-17 win, Brady and Burkhardt talked about their new partnership as much as the game itself.
Back in the studio, Michael Strahan chose Brady — not any of the players — as the day’s biggest winner, and Brady shared some advice he received from his fellow athlete-turned-TV personality: “You’re going to wake up tomorrow, on Monday morning, you ain’t going to be sore.”
“That,” Brady said, “I’m very happy about.”
