When Tom Brady took his gap season between his final NFL game in early 2023 and his debut as Fox Sports’ $375 million analyst this Sunday, he studied NFL broadcasts like he was trying to figure out a defense as a quarterback.
Known for his meticulousness, Brady would not only study fellow lead analysts, such as CBS’ Tony Romo, ESPN’s Troy Aikman and NBC’s Cris Collinsworth, to see how they did the job, but also in conversations with Fox Sports executive producer Brad Zager, play-by-play partner Kevin Burkhardt, and the network’s No. 1 game producer, Richie Zyontz, Brady would inquire about how much producers talk in your earpiece during a game or what a director does. He also made a point of going around each room to try to learn each person on the crew’s names.
“I’m the rookie,” Brady told one of his new colleagues. “I want to be a good teammate.”
With Brady — the seven-time Super Bowl champion quarterback widely considered the greatest player in the history of the game and now in possession of the most lucrative known sports commentator contract of all time — Fox Sports has tried to publicly temper expectations for what is probably the most anticipated TV game analyst debut in history.
Fox declined to comment or make Brady available for this article. Brady did appear on Colin Cowherd’s FS1 show, “The Herd,” Monday, where he mostly focused on talking about football. It is all in an overriding effort to make Sunday and beyond as comfortable as possible for Brady, who, by all accounts, is excited to start.
“It can’t get here soon enough,” Brady told Cowherd of his broadcast debut.
The Athletic spoke to sources briefed on Brady’s preparations to piece together what the New England Patriots legend has done to be ready for his broadcasting debut. The journey began nearly two-and-a-half years ago, when Fox’s Lachlan Murdoch announced the signing in May 2022, with the astronomical finances reported shortly after.
Tom Brady called the UFL championship game in June for Fox, his first appearance on the network in preparation for Sunday’s NFL regular-season debut. (Rick Ulreich / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
The ensuing season, Brady’s last as a player, he and Fox Sports executives agreed he should go try to win a Super Bowl, as they were slated to produce it. Communication was limited as he finished playing, but the hope was to meet up at the Super Bowl, which Brady had won two seasons prior with his new team, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Brady didn’t make it to the big game, but the man he is replacing, Greg Olsen, did, earning strong reviews with Burkhardt on the Fox telecast. Before that Super Bowl, Fox let it be known Brady would take a year off between playing and broadcasting. When he was done as a quarterback, the real preparations began and will culminate with Sunday’s game between the Dallas Cowboys and Cleveland Browns.
At 47, Brady will again be a main focus as his rookie NFL analyst season will end with him standing next to Burkhardt to call the Super Bowl on Feb. 9 in New Orleans.
The location of the big game provides perfect symmetry to 22 years ago when Brady won his first Super Bowl in the Superdome, which happened to be the final broadcast for Fox’s legendary team of Pat Summerall and John Madden.
Brady has been open about how he has reached out to Romo, Collinsworth, Aikman and seemingly every broadcaster in the business. But come Sunday, the advice that top Fox Sports producers have drilled into his head is: “Be you!”
While Fox is attempting to lighten the expectations by pulling back most official media coverage, it will be all-in this weekend. On Saturday, for his alma mater Michigan’s game vs. Texas, Brady will voice the tease for the Fox broadcast and then appear at halftime, according to sources briefed on the network’s plans.
Brady played his last game on Jan. 16, 2023, completing 35 of 66 passes against the Cowboys for 351 yards in a 31-14 wild-card loss. He would announce his retirement shortly after and took his “gap year” before entering the booth.
The seemingly jet-setting Brady has been at Fox Sports on multiple occasions, working off monitors and calling old games. In May, he rehearsed in Detroit by calling the Michigan Panthers vs. Memphis Showboats game with Burkhardt.
“He’s a grinder,” one new colleague labeled him.
Brady has called two-and-a-half live NFL games. In early August, he did a half of a preseason game between the Los Angeles Chargers and Seattle Seahawks on Saturday, then did the full L.A. Rams-Cowboys game the next game. And then, his last rehearsal was toward the end of August in a game between the San Francisco 49ers and Las Vegas Raiders. He made his first broadcasting apperance during the network’s UFL coverage earlier this summer.
Tom Brady is already looking pretty comfortable at his new gig 👏
He’s making his commentator debut for @FOXSports at the UFL Championship Game.
🎥 @TheUFLpic.twitter.com/4Hk6fqcMUX
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) June 16, 2024
Over the last eight months, before these live rehearsals, Brady went into overdrive. In January, in Miami, where he has a home, he observed NBC’s production by standing next to Collinsworth and play-by-play announcer Mike Tirico in the booth and going into the truck with their lead producer, Rob Hyland. Besides the convenience of the location, the reason Brady observed the NBC crew rather than Fox’s was in part out of deference to Olsen, who is being moved to the No. 2 team with Brady’s arrival.
Fox and Brady have tried to create the equivalent pocket for him to succeed. Last April, he was the center of attention at a luxurious retreat with his top Fox teammates. There have been dinners that have caught the attention of the New York Post’s Page Six and TMZ, which had Zager’s picture next to Brady splashed all over the internet.
These are just part of the many outings that Fox personnel have held with Brady in an effort to make Sunday seamless. Those who have been around him can not get over the star power that surrounds him, which is saying a lot when you consider the likes of Derek Jeter, David Ortiz and Terry Bradshaw are on Fox Sports’ big-name roster.
During this preseason, when Brady has been on the field, he is immediately the center of attention with players, like the Cowboys’ Micah Parsons, finding their way to see Brady and, in one instance, even asking Burkhardt to use their phones to take pictures.
Meanwhile, with Brady’s limited partner ownership with the Raiders pending, the NFL has ruled that he can’t participate in team production meetings, as ESPN first reported.
This decision will likely disappoint coaches and players more than truly impact Brady’s performance. (Brady isn’t barred from talking to any coaches or players on the phone, and Burkhardt, Erin Andrews and Tom Rinaldi will be able to relay information. Fox seems very unconcerned about it.)
Tom Brady talks with Dallas’ Micah Parsons, left, and Trevon Diggs before the Cowboys-Rams preseason game last month. Brady called two full preseason games in the lead-up to Sunday. (James D. Smith via AP)
Through all the practice, what will likely make or break how Brady does is his timing, which may be the hardest aspect for new broadcasters to learn. The gap year was Brady’s choice, but likely a good one for his development.
Players who accomplish what Brady did don’t grow up dreaming about being in the broadcast booth to call a Super Bowl. They fantasize about winning as the quarterback. As a result, they don’t study the mechanics of what it takes to be good as a commentator. Brady, sources indicate, has been meticulous about understanding the process.
“I’ve never been around someone as curious about how everything works,” a Fox Sports colleague said.
There is no doubt that Brady will see the game at that Peyton Manning level, with the same perfection in noticing details. Brady doesn’t need to be overly critical, though he did say on his SiriusXM podcast that he wants to mirror longtime acerbic golf analyst Johnny Miller. He may make headlines, even if it isn’t intentional, just because of who he is.
What Brady has tried to learn, and what he figures to improve upon as he takes more reps throughout the season, is the timing during the game. There is a finite amount of seconds to speak between plays. What the average fan needs to understand is different from what a quarterback trying to win each down needs to know.
To use quarterbacking parlance, Brady has worked to make his progressions quick, while displaying personality. He has learned the mechanics, focusing on making one point instead of several at a time.
He’s spoken to many and, even though he clearly agreed to join Fox because of the unprecedented offer, the rookie appears to be all-in, calling his new partners at random times to talk for an hour about how to improve and, then, during practices, being receptive to real-time coaching. The sources briefed on Brady’s practices seem to believe he is prepared and ready to display his passion for the game in a way that hasn’t been fully seen before.
“He’s like a little kid,” one of the sources said. “He’s so excited. He loves the game of football.”
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(Top illustration: Meech Robinson / The Athletic; photo: Harry How / Getty Images)