After a legendary NFL career, Tom Brady took on a new challenge as a color commentator for FOX. His first season in the booth brought criticism and learning curves, but Brady remains committed to his $375 million, 10-year broadcasting deal with the network.
Tom Brady Reflects on His Tough First Year as FOX Broadcaster
Appearing on Impaulsive, Brady didn’t sugarcoat his broadcasting experience. “It’s a different challenge for sure, it’s a challenge, it’s not easy at all,” he said at the 48:25 mark. “I don’t want to make it seem like, sometimes when you say it’s not easy, I don’t want people to feel sorry. It’s a job and you have to commit.”
Despite being a recent retiree and minority owner of the Las Vegas Raiders, FOX hired Brady to take on a high-profile analyst role right away. As expected, the transition from quarterback to broadcaster wasn’t smooth at first. Brady acknowledged that early struggles were part of the process but felt he improved as the season went on.
“I think this first year was good to get under my belt because you really don’t know what you don’t know until you do it,” Brady admitted. “And then you have so much more respect for the guys that have done it and are doing a great job at it. You have to thread the needle so many times throughout the game.”
One of the challenges Brady highlighted was how delicate it is to offer criticism. “You don’t want to be too hard on people because they are trying hard. You don’t want to be too hard on what you think you see because you don’t know what the coach told the guy,” he explained. “Maybe the coach said absolutely don’t throw it there and now that guy is open, and I’m going why didn’t they throw it there, but they aren’t even looking there.”
He also noted that commenting on referees’ calls or play decisions isn’t straightforward, as he doesn’t have full visibility into what coaches or officials may have seen or instructed.
Although some fans were skeptical of Brady’s performance, FOX producer Richie Zyontz remains confident that Brady will fulfill his entire contract. Speaking to The Athletic, Zyontz said, “I’ll tell you he’ll do it for nine more years because we’ve talked about it. He really enjoys this. He is really digging this gig.”
Brady teams up with Kevin Burkhardt, FOX’s lead play-by-play announcer, calling the network’s biggest weekly games. He also called Super Bowl 59 in his rookie season behind the mic.
Brady’s broadcasting career may have started with bumps, but he’s shown a willingness to grow and stay committed to the long haul.