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Tom Brady Joining FOX as Lead NFL Analyst Upon Retirement; QB Responds

Published Tue, 10 May 2022 10:03:12 -0500

Last updated Tue, 10 May 2022 10:24:06 -0500

If you're a fan of Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB & future Hall-of-Famer Tom Brady, then you're going to have a lot more of him in your NFL future. If you're not a fan of Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB & future Hall-of-Famer Tom Brady, then watching games on FOX is going to get a whole lot tougher for you after Brady retires in 2048. Earlier today, Fox CEO Lachlan Murdoch confirmed during the company's quarterly earnings call that Brady will be joining FOX Sports as its lead NFL analyst upon his retirement (whenever that may be). "It is entirely up to him when he chooses to retire and move into what will be an exciting television career, that is up to him to make that choice when he sees fit," Murdoch said during the call, and that Brady (who will join lead announcer Kevin Burkhardt in the booth) will "also serve as an ambassador for us, particularly with respect to client and promotional initiatives."

Another headline-maker that might be getting lost in that big bombshell news is that FOX has also locked in a new decade-long broadcast agreement with the league (with a reported hefty final price tag). A major difference between FOX's NFL dealings and others is that FOX does not stream their games, making their price tag a bit higher for cable providers since the content is more "exclusive." As for that approach, Murdoch added, "We think that our key rights deserve to stay on our broadcast and cable networks exclusively. It gives our league partners the most breadth and reach that they can achieve in viewership from their fans, but it is also key to our distribution strategy." For the amount of money being spent on the games, networks & streaming services have been on a spending spree to lock in top broadcasting talent. With FOX losing both Troy Aikman and Joe Buck to ESPN, the Brady announcement is a major course-corrector for FOX Sports and a game-changer in that the broadcasting booth might be the bigger ratings-grabber than the game they're covering. Here's a look at Brady's reaction to the news via Twitter: