Just-retired Tom Brady will start his job as the lead analyst for Fox’s NFL coverage in the fall of 2024. Brady made the announcement on Colin Cowherd’s radio show, “The Herd,” on Monday. Brady announced his retirement from the NFL last week, leading to speculation about when he would begin his lucrative post-career job with Fox, which will broadcast this year’s Super Bowl.
“Decompression’s important,” Brady told Cowherd. “You’re on this kind of really crazy treadmill/hamster wheel for a long time, loving the moment, loving the journey. At the same time, it’s a daily fight. ... I have an appreciation for so many people that are so committed every day to showing up to put their max effort into their life and their career. And I think for me, I want to be great at what I do.”
.@TomBrady tells @ColinCowherd on @FS1 that he will start his broadcast career with FOX in the Fall of 2024. pic.twitter.com/rckDnIVeQO
— Herd w/Colin Cowherd (@TheHerd) February 6, 2023
Brady said he had spoken to Fox leadership about his desire to take a season off before beginning the new role. “Take some time to really learn, become great at what I want to do, become great at thinking about the opportunity and making sure I don’t rush into anything,” he told Cowherd.
Brady will join play-by-play man Kevin Burkhardt to form Fox’s new top booth. Former tight end Greg Olsen filled that role this season; Olsen, who will call Super Bowl LVII on Sunday, will be reassigned after next season. Brady’s debut will be highly anticipated, given his fame and the interest in the top NFL booths from both networks and fans.
Fox secured Brady’s services after an offseason of expensive musical chairs among leading broadcasters. Joe Buck and Troy Aikman left Fox for ESPN to call “Monday Night Football” for more $30 million per year combined, and Amazon signed Al Michaels from NBC for eight figures and top college football commentator Kirk Herbstreit for its Thursday night package. (Amazon’s founder, Jeff Bezos, owns The Washington Post.) Brady’s 12-year deal is the most expensive of all.
“One thing about my career, whether [it] was when I was drafted by the Patriots or signed in free agency with the Bucs, I wanted to be fully committed, and I never wanted to let people down,” Brady said to Cowherd. “I think my biggest motivator was that.”
Brady played the last game of his career, a playoff loss to the Dallas Cowboys, last month. The 45-year-old is the winningest quarterback of all time and won seven Super Bowls over his 23 NFL seasons with the New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He is also the league’s career leader in passing yards and touchdown passes. He was a three-time NFL MVP and a five-time Super Bowl MVP.