Tom Brady Back to Work | NFL on FOX
History is being made! Tom Brady makes his highly anticipated debut in the FOX booth with Kevin Burkhart, Erin Andrews and Tom Rinaldi for the can't-miss season opener as Dak Prescott's Cowboys take on Deshaun Watson's Browns. Sunday at 4 p.m….
Just over 19 months have passed since seven-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady announced he was retiring from the NFL “for good.”
This afternoon, the NFL legend will make his highly anticipated broadcast debut in the FOX booth alongside lead play-by-play announcer Kevin Burkhart for “America's Game of the Week.”
The Cleveland Browns will host the Dallas Cowboys in a nationally televised game in Week 1. FOX Sports sideline reporter Erin Andrews and reporter/feature contributor Tom Rinaldi will also join Burkhart and Brady for the weekly NFL coverage.
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Tom Brady watches before the Las Vegas Aces' home opener against the Phoenix Mercury at Michelob Ultra Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, May 14, 2024. The Aces defeated the Mercury, 89-80. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
In 2022, Fox Corp. CEO Lachlan Murdoch announced during the company's earnings call that Brady, a seven-time Super Bowl champion who was then a member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, would one day join the sports network's top announcing team after his illustrious football career ends.
“It would be a brilliant career in television,” Murdoch said in 2022. “But it will be up to him to decide when it is appropriate.”
Former NFL star says Tom Brady has one skill that sets him apart from other announcers
Brady decided to hold off on his foray into the broadcast booth for a year, but ultimately committed to starting the second act of his career in 2024. The New England Patriots legend has been alluding to the next step in his career in various interviews and talks over the past few months.
Former NFL quarterback Tom Brady watches before a game between the Michigan Panthers and the Memphis Showboats at Ford Field on May 18, 2024 in Detroit, Michigan. (Nick Antaya/UFL/Getty Images)
Brady spoke to FOX Sports from the broadcast booth inside the Cleveland Browns' stadium on Saturday as his alma mater, Michigan, regrouped in the locker room at halftime of the game against Texas.
“Obviously, I'm super excited. I'm not nervous at all,” Brady said when asked how he felt ahead of his debut. “A lot of people have worked on preparing me, and it's been a two-year journey, but the thing I'm most excited about is getting back to NFL football. I have great partners in Kevin and Erin in the booth, and Tom Lin on the field. We have a great team. There are a lot of talented people to work with, and I get to be a part of a great team, and I get to cover the sport I love.”
Brady shares his hopes for inaugural season in the broadcast booth
Brady has built a reputation for his meticulous pre-game preparation, and that dedication appears to carry over to his television appearances.
The Athletic reported that Brady sat in the NBC production truck during a Miami Dolphins game. Burkhart had participated in a mock game with Brady. The legendary quarterback acknowledged that he had apologized to Burkhart when he made a mistake during a scrimmage. But Brady said the experienced play-by-play announcer reassured him.
“Every day I wake up, I want to prove to everybody, 'Hey, I know I'm a rookie, but I'm rooting for you guys,'” Brady told FOX NFL Sunday host Curt Menefee.
Will Brady criticize players on air?
Brady has been outspoken about his views on the “Let's Go!” podcast over the past few years.
Last year, he spoke about the state of the NFL on his podcast, saying, “I think there's a lot of mediocre players in the NFL right now.”
Shortly before his induction into the Patriots' Hall of Fame, Brady told Yahoo! Sports that “NFL quarterbacks are regressing a little bit.” He blamed the league and college football coaching staff. But during a meeting with Stephen A. Smith last month, Brady was careful not to be overly critical of quarterbacks when he's in the broadcast booth.
Tom Brady presents the MVP trophy to Birmingham Stallions player Adrian Martinez (number 9) after the Birmingham Stallions defeated the San Antonio Brummers in the UFL Championship Game at America's Center Dome on June 16, 2024 in St. Louis, Missouri. (Scott Lovac/UFL/Getty Images)
“That was awful” is an example of the kind of thing Brady is willing to say on the microphone, but acknowledged, “I can't say that on TV.”
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He co-hosted the “Let's Go!” podcast with veteran sportswriter Jim Gray and retired wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald. Bill Belichick was recently announced as Brady's replacement on the podcast as the football great focuses on his new role at FOX.
The Cowboys-Browns game kicks off at 4:25pm ET on FOX.
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