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While he’s once again retired from the NFL, Tom Brady won’t be making an immediate transition to the broadcast studio.
Brady announced Wednesday he’s hanging up his cleats. The future Hall of Famer already has his second career lined up having signed a deal with Fox.
According to the Wall Street Journal‘s Andrew Beaton, fans will have to wait to see him in that role because he “doesn’t plan to be part of the upcoming Super Bowl broadcast on Fox this month.”
The New York Post‘s Andrew Marchand reported in May the three-time MVP is set to get $375 million over 10 years. That exceeds the amount of money he has earned from his 23-year playing career ($333 million).
Brady’s contract represents an eye-popping sum, with many fans questioning whether he was worth that kind of money. Not every star player can make a successful pivot to broadcasting.
Joe Buck, who worked at Fox before joining ESPN’s Monday Night Football crew, told Sports Illustrated‘s Jimmy Traina (via Brandon Contes of Awful Announcing) in November he thought there was a chance Brady could walk away from his deal altogether.
“Who knows where his family life takes him, who knows if he plays one more year or he doesn’t,” Buck said. “I know there are people at Fox who would say there’s a chance that he doesn’t call a game there.”
Greg Olsen has also made a strong case to remain the lead color commentator for Fox’s NFL coverage. Brady would obviously bring a ton of attention to the network, but the net result might be a worse product for the viewer.
These are all issues Brady and Fox can iron out in the months ahead. The timing of his retirement gives the network a large window with which to lay out its plans for the 2023 NFL season.