Tom Brady to be lead NFL analyst on Fox when he retires
- Thread starter RedOctober3829
- Start date
I love Tom Brady but this seems ballsy given we've never seen him as an analyst. My instinct is he will not be very good (based on his SNL appearances mostly).
Depends if we get politician Brady, no not in the literal sense but the guy who is very neutral and non-critical, or candid Brady like the guy that killed it on the HBO special that I forget the name of. I have a feeling we will get the former not the latter and he will be pretty lackluster.
I feel like he'd be very good in a 3 person booth, but not sure he'd have enough commentary to carry a game. Either way, I love the potential for this. Given his commitment to other endeavors in life, I'm sure he'll work to make sure he's great.
Meh. I fear just another recently retired player with too many friends in the game to be overly critical. Inevitably super saccharinic.
The NFL wants their broadcast partners to have stars in the lead booth, and FOX just lost their stars, so they needed to do something to placate the NFL.
This is also precisely the kind of announcement a network makes at their ad sales upfront presentation, so I imagine FOX will trot Brady out at that soon.
It has nothing to do with Brady being any good at this.
This is also precisely the kind of announcement a network makes at their ad sales upfront presentation, so I imagine FOX will trot Brady out at that soon.
It has nothing to do with Brady being any good at this.
He does that weekly hit with Jim Gray on Westwood One that is sort of broad football, but it certainly was never very critical of anything.
I'm pretty sure Tom Brady will be very good at pretty much anything he decides to do, especially when it comes to competitive environments. I think he probably sees the acclaim Romo is getting in the booth, and Manning gets for his various TV work, and wants to beat them in those arenas as well. And I wouldn't bet against him. But as far as I'm concerned, the bloom is really off the rose with this guy. Jordan ended up taking a lot of later-career shit for his competitiveness crashing over the lines of taste and appropriateness, and I see similar issues with Brady. The whole scheme to get himself and his preferred coach to Miami in exchange for an ownership stake. The biopic or documentary or whatever he was said to be commissioning. The announcement that at some unspecified date in the future he'll be joining the Fox booth as the network's lead analyst--which certainly elbows aside other potentially worthy candidates who may already be paying their dues. I'll be the first the celebrate Brady's greatness, but I have personally grown weary of his act.
Man, I really thought once it was over for him...it was over. I know I am biased, but I see this being "beneath" him?
I can't see this lasting longer than a year, maybe 2. Not like he needs the money. He's not the critic type and really isn't that interesting (or not interesting in a good way at least) when he opens his mouth.
If feel bad for Burkhardt if this will only be a 2 man booth.
If feel bad for Burkhardt if this will only be a 2 man booth.
Agreed, I kind of wanted him to go away and be a real estate tycoon or something. This feels... needy? It's too Manning for me.
So, in the interim they sign up someone else as lead analyst with no defined length of contract?
Wonder if they got this lined up while he was retired thinking at the time he would replace Aikman.
The difference is Romo and Manning have charisma and are funny and self deprecating.
The most interesting thing about Tom Brady outside of football is that he drinks wheatgrass and doesn’t eat tomatoes.
Tom can’t hustle his way into comedic timing and wit.
I don't think he'd go that way. What gets people swooning about Romo is OMG! HE SEES THE PLAY DEVELOPING BEFORE IT HAPPENS! I think he'll work to out-do Romo in that regard. More Aikman in demeanor than Romo or Manning. And, again, when competition is involved, I wouldn't bet against Brady.
I think when Romo first started, people were amazed he was calling out plays, but his contract got renewed because he’s funny and has great chemistry with Nantz.
Drew Brees can probably call out every single play before it happens, but the average viewer doesn’t care about that unless it’s presented in an entertaining fashion.
I think Brady is somewhat entertaining on Twitter, but having a social media team tweet your content is a lot different than being on a live mic for three hours every week.
Fox almost certainly had him audition or do some kind of trial with Burkhardt to get a sense of his ability and how they two pair together.
I think he'll be fine. His biggest problem will be that more than half the viewers likely hate his guts and won't give him the time of day.
I think he'll be fine. His biggest problem will be that more than half the viewers likely hate his guts and won't give him the time of day.
So far, Brady is at his most entertaining (off the field) when he is saying "there's no way that mother-fucker is better than me..." It's unclear how entertaining he will be reviewing plays or discussing the pre-snap alignments. As noted, that's a skill in and of itself, and not everyone that throws for 4000 yards in a season can develop it either.
How is competition involved here, I'm asking genuinely? NFL broadcasts even on different networks don't really compete with each other for viewers or rating points. And whether or not someone is good at it is pretty subjective, other than in extreme cases where people are objectively terrible at it. Take Romo who is probably the top color guy out there right now, tons of people hate him and think he's annoying and sucks at his job. I'm not sure how Brady's competitiveness helps him here except maybe a little in the margins.
I'd be surprised if FOX had him "audition". I suspect the FOX producers and talent execs think they can make him into something competent, which is all they're looking for. Again, this is largely about placating the NFL and wooing clients.
I think those of us who aren't hyper-competitive ourselves may overlook the degree to which people who *are* wired that way see the world as one big competition. If Romo is lauded for his play-recognition acumen, that is exactly the kind of thing that would motivate someone like Brady to show the world that he's even better. To someone like Brady--a standout competitor in an industry where freakish competitiveness is the requirement--literally everything is a competition. I think @sodenj5 is on solid ground when he points out that Romo and Manning have more natural charm, which makes them more likeable and accessible than Brady may be. But it's my belief that this is a guy who will work his ass off to be good. That's because I find his competitiveness to be motivated largely by pride and vanity, and those can be very powerful motivators. Just reiterating that none of this means I personally am looking forward to Tom Brady in the booth, or anywhere else. As I mentioned, his act has worn thin for me.
Yeah, audition wasn't the right word. He probably gets signed regardless. I would just be surprised if Fox didn't put him through some kind of test with Burkhardt to get A) a baseline of of his ability and B) make sure he's not a complete disaster.
10-years, $375 million contract with Fox.
View: https://twitter.com/AndrewMarchand/status/1524064619685425152?s=20&t=-_LlpiP6YJpWl7EBFBH3Ew
View: https://twitter.com/AndrewMarchand/status/1524064619685425152?s=20&t=-_LlpiP6YJpWl7EBFBH3Ew
It's likely schmoozing with the network's corporate clients is what makes the deal. Being good at the broadcasts will be almost a bonus.
You gotta pay up if you want Tom in Detroit on Thanksgiving and skipping Giselle's chestnut stuffing and homemade pecan pie.
If they're not auctioning off Tom's seat at the Brady TG table, they're not trying.
Who am I kidding, it's going to be Jules and/or Gronk.
Who am I kidding, it's going to be Jules and/or Gronk.
People doubt Tom Brady and he always proves them wrong. So Brady will be awesome at this, he's a great leader and obviously that means he's got oodles of charisma. Just because he's flat in interviews doesn't mean he doesn't have charisma. It means he doesn't want his words on a bulletin board.
That said, that dollar amount is absurd.
That said, that dollar amount is absurd.
10/$375 doesn't seem crazy to get the exclusive rights to one of the most famous people in America, who is MAGA-approved, has high approval ratings in New England and Florida, is originally from California, and wants to maintain his Q rating. I'll be stunned if the only thing he does for Fox is football color commentary.
View: https://twitter.com/RapSheet/status/1524074985307975680
From NFL Now: Tom Brady will be a broadcaster when he retires. But what if his team is out of the playoffs this year and he knows he's done... will he jump in the booth for FOX for LVII? A FOX spokesman declined comment.
Fun tidbit- Tom's combined player salary is 333m after this year which is less than what Fox will be paying him.
From NFL Now: Tom Brady will be a broadcaster when he retires. But what if his team is out of the playoffs this year and he knows he's done... will he jump in the booth for FOX for LVII? A FOX spokesman declined comment.
Fun tidbit- Tom's combined player salary is 333m after this year which is less than what Fox will be paying him.
Someone on the radio this morning compared him to Joe Montana, and I see it. I just don't think Brady's locker room charisma translates to TV. It really never has, across the multitude of things he's done. Which is fine, he can be competent and that's all FOX wants, really.
Is this going to make a bunch of people who don't currently watch NFL broadcasts tune in to hear Tom Brady? I don't understand where the $375m in value is for Fox.
In comparison, the CBS Romo deal was roughly $180m over 10 years. Aikman's ESPN deal is $90m for 5 years.
View: https://twitter.com/AdamSchefter/status/1524012252004761600
FOX Sports: “Tom will not only call our biggest NFL games with Kevin Burkhardt, but will also serve as an ambassador for us, particularly with respect to client and promotional initiatives.”
That's a very well paid party goer. I'd expect him to shake the hand of every Forbes top 40 guy in those 10 years. I guess access to that crowd will have some value to Tom as well.
View: https://twitter.com/AdamSchefter/status/1524012252004761600
FOX Sports: “Tom will not only call our biggest NFL games with Kevin Burkhardt, but will also serve as an ambassador for us, particularly with respect to client and promotional initiatives.”
That's a very well paid party goer. I'd expect him to shake the hand of every Forbes top 40 guy in those 10 years. I guess access to that crowd will have some value to Tom as well.
Yeah, he really seems not to want to spend a lot of time with the family in his retirement.
I'm sure there is some clause in it that "if" he becomes part owner of a team both sides can back out without penalty due to conflict of interest.
In other words, he does it one year after he retires as a stop gap to finalize paperwork before he becomes a minority owner of the Phins
In other words, he does it one year after he retires as a stop gap to finalize paperwork before he becomes a minority owner of the Phins
I get (and share in much of) the criticism here...but is this gig really evidence of not wanting to spend more time with his wife and kids in retirement? I mean he's in his mid-forties. He'll be working three days a week for half the year. Seems like that still leaves plenty of time for being a good dad and husband.
Ownership seemed like a far more logical next step for Brady than broadcasting.
The fit with Miami has been rumored for a few years now and made a lot of sense from the perspective of Brady and Giselle already having a large house in South Florida, he gets to basically golf with Marino and show up at a few home games a year as the new face of ownership.
Broadcasting seems like such a hard turn from that path. An out seems plausible as you mentioned. Brady might be waiting until the investigation with Ross blows over and deciding what to do after that.