Tom Brady will not begin his foray into broadcasting as the main color commentator for Fox Sports NFL coverage until next year, the former quarterback told FS1 host Colin Cowherd on Monday.
FS1 is part of the Fox Sports portfolio. Last May, Brady signed a 10-year, $375 million contract to become an in-game analyst for the network’s NFL coverage. That was just after he retired and quickly returned for the 2022 season before telling social media Wednesday that he was done playing, this time “for good.”
“Even talking last week with the people at Fox Sports, you know, and the leadership there allowing me to start my Fox opportunity in the fall of 2024 is something that’s really great for me. I’m going to take some time to really learn … making sure I don’t rush into anything,” Brady told Cowherd.
The deal came amid a series of shake-ups in NFL broadcasts for the 2022 season.
NBC stalwart Al Michaels decamped for Amazon’s “Thursday Night Football,” leaving Mike Tirico as the next man up for NBC Sports’ “Sunday Night Football,” co-hosting with Cris Collinsworth.
ESPN, meanwhile, brought over longtime Fox hosts Troy Aikman and Joe Buck to “Monday Night Football.” This left Kevin Burkhardt and former Carolina Panthers tight end Greg Olsen to move up from being Fox’s B team to their main broadcast duo.
The pair will call Super Bowl 57 in Arizona on Sunday. The next Super Bowl that the network will broadcast will be in New Orleans at the end of the 2024 season, when Mr. Brady will be on board.
For now, as he settles into life after playing football, Brady looks forward to Sunday’s Super Bowl — and his colleagues’ call of the game.
“I’ll be 50% watching the game and 50% listening to those two,” Brady told Cowherd.
• Brad Matthews can be reached at bmatthews@washingtontimes.com.
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