Unlike his first retirement, Tom Brady actually has a post-playing gig lined up this time around.
FOX CEO Lachlan Murdoch announced last May – after Brady had already retired and returned to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 40 days later – that Brady would join the network as lead NFL analyst once his career ended.
That day has seemingly arrived, with Brady saying he is retired “for good.”
But don’t expect him to play a role in the network’s upcoming Super Bowl 57 coverage of the game between the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs on Feb. 12.
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Whether he will join the FOX booth for next season, presumably replacing current No. 1 game analyst Greg Olsen alongside Kevin Burkhardt, remains to be seen. USA TODAY Sports’ messages to Brady’s representatives have not been returned, while FOX Sports declined to comment.
Will Tom Brady be part of FOX’s Super Bowl coverage?
FOX executives and personnel found out with the rest of the world Brady was retiring when he recorded and posted a video on social media Wednesday morning.
It’s worth noting that the news of Brady joining FOX came at the corporate level. Anything about Brady’s future at the network will come from either himself or the C-suite.
Given the timing of Brady’s announcement with the Super Bowl less than two weeks away, Brady certainly won’t be part of the network’s game coverage. If anything, he would contribute to the pregame show. Even that would be a longshot.
Don’t expect to turn the tube on Feb. 12 and catch a glimpse of Brady – unless he’s part of a commercial or attending the game as a fan.
How soon will Tom Brady join FOX?
Last week, longtime Brady teammate Rob Gronkowski was posed with a hypothetical: Was it more likely for him to join up with Brady at FOX or in the NFL?
“I would say we’re going to be teammates on FOX. He’s seen the job I’m doing. I’m still in the playoffs, he’s not. So I think if he comes to FOX, he’s guaranteed playoffs and Super Bowls every single year.”
After this Super Bowl, the network will next broadcast the big game in two years in New Orleans. From what Brady said on his most recent “Let’s Go!” podcast with Jim Gray (and guest Stephen A. Smith), it sounds like he’ll be broadcasting by then.
“There’s so much to learn. There’s so much to teach. It’s ever-evolving,” Brady told Gray and Smith. “Believe me, as much as you think I’m willing to teach people, I’m really looking to learn. I’m really looking to learn from all the people I get to talk to.
“I get the opportunity to be in a job in the future where I get to travel around and learn from all the other people that I’ve looked up to and admired in different organizations. It’s exciting for me too. I feel like the opportunity to do that is something I’m really looking forward to, whenever that time comes.”
According to the New York Post, the broadcasting contract for Brady is 10 years and $375 million – more than he made over the course of his entire playing career.
What does Tom Brady retirement mean for Greg Olsen?
The elephant in the room for FOX is the Olsen predicament.
Olsen is peaking at the right time and his informed analysis has made him popular among NFL fans this postseason. He and Burkhardt have chemistry – like ESPN’s Joe Buck and Troy Aikman – that is often hard to replicate. We’ve seen the downside on CBS with Jim Nantz and Tony Romo’s borderline grating commentary this postseason.
None of that will matter, though, once Brady decides to pick up the microphone. A three-man booth could be a possibility, but there is only so much time between plays for the color commentator to speak. Splitting that time between Brady and Olsen would be clunky even if they are both succinct.
“It’s a matter of just being realistic and understanding that when Tom Brady agrees to potentially be your No. 1 analyst and sit in the booth and all that he brings in with his reputation and whatnot, I get it,” Olsen told The Athletic. “To expect someone to not go that route seems pretty delusional. I always try to be very honest with myself, and I always feel I need to be honest with my situations, because if not, you’re really setting yourself up for disappointment. I know what I signed up for.
“I knew this year was going to be a weird year because I was going to answer this question every single time. I’ve said this to Kevin. My only option right now to make a career out of this is to be good. That’s it.”
Olsen has a bright future in the business regardless if it’s with FOX’s No. 2 team or elsewhere.
Follow Chris Bumbaca on Twitter @BOOMbaca.
Story Credit: usatoday.com