After creating a handful of legendary moments on the football field for over 20 years, future Hall of Fame QB Tom Brady will be tasked with creating iconic moments in the broadcast booth calling NFL games for the upcoming 2024 NFL season.
Here is a closer look at some of the games Brady could be calling for the Fox broadcast team later this year.
How the Networks and NFL Decide Broadcasting Crews
If you ever wonder why the famous broadcast duos of NFL history always seem to call the biggest games of the week, there is a premeditated approach by the league to put every network’s top announcing team on its best contests.
The two main networks that broadcast the early and late afternoon Sunday games are Fox and CBS, which will generally rotate weekly as to which network has the late afternoon game of the week.
This means if Brady calls a 4:25 p.m. game between the Dallas Cowboys in Week 1 of the NFL season, he will likely appear on the 1 p.m. slate for Week 2.
Fox’s Potential Tom Brady Games
Week 1: Cowboys @ Browns
Week 2: Buccaneers @ Lions
Week 3: Ravens @ Cowboys
Week 4: Rams @ Bears
Week 5: Dolphins @ Patriots
Week 6: Lions @ Cowboys
Week 7: Chiefs @ 49ers
Week 8: Packers @ Jaguars
Week 9: Lions @ Packers
Week 10: 49ers @ Buccaneers
Week 11: Browns @ Saints
Week 12: 49ers @ Packers
Week 13: Texans @ Jaguars
Week 14: Bills @ Rams
Week 15: Steelers @ Eagles
Week 16: Lions @ Bears
Week 17: Cowboys at Eagles
Week 18: Who knows
Brady To Call Cowboys-Browns in First Game as Broadcaster
The Dallas Cowboys tend to generate great ratings, which means Brady’s first game in the broadcast booth will have the attention of millions of viewers.
His perspective on how Cowboys QB Dak Prescott should attack this stingy Cleveland Browns defense will be must-watch TV.
Will Tom Brady Be Biased as a Broadcaster?
NFL fans have images of Brady winning Super Bowl championships with the New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers during his NFL career, which should make it very interesting to hear him provide analysis on these two franchises over their potential multiple appearances on the Fox Game of the Week broadcasts during the 2024 NFL season.
Will Brady be able to remove his own personal fondness for the two teams with which he won a championship while calling games? Brady comes off as a professional of the highest order at work, which leads me to believe he will be able to cover the teams in an unbiased manner.
Another team worth mentioning is the San Francisco 49ers. Growing up, Brady was a Niners fan since he was raised in the Bay Area. There were rumors that Brady may potentially join the Niners late in his career, but this never materialized. Instead, he reportedly felt slighted that they passed over him several times — first in the 2000 NFL Draft and then later when he was a free agent. It will be very interesting to hear Brady analyze his childhood favorite team.
Will the GOAT Name an Heir-Apparent?
If you have watched anything involving Brady recently — including his roast on Netflix — you’ve probably heard the term GOAT thrown around, which stands for the Greatest of All Time.
One thing to monitor will be if Brady ever names an heir apparent to his throne atop the mountain of NFL immortals.
The league is filled with young, superstar quarterbacks all aiming to meet the gold standard Brady has set for the position. The top candidate whose career is on a GOAT-type trajectory is Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes, who already has three Super Bowl rings over his first six seasons as a starter.
Others vying to enter the GOAT conversation in years to come are names like Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen, C.J. Stroud, and possibly Caleb Williams — who Brady will have a chance to watch and analyze their respective games in real-time.
MORE: Former Tom Brady Teammate Has Hot Take on GOAT Debate
Emperors didn’t always handpick their successor during medieval times, but it will be interesting if Brady feels compelled enough to anoint the next GOAT based on what he sees from these players on the field while calling their games.
How Much Is Tom Brady Being Paid To Be an Analyst?
Brady was renowned for his willingness to take a lower salary to help his team extend great players already on the roster or have the financial flexibility to pursue impact veteran players on the free-agent market. It doesn’t appear that Brady is taking the same approach when it comes to his broadcasting contract with Fox.
In May 2022, Brady signed a lucrative 10-year contract with Fox worth $375 million to become the next high-profile NFL legend to step into the broadcast booth.
Next season, Tom Brady will begin his 10-year, $375M contract as Fox Sports’ lead NFL analyst.
After 23 seasons in the league, @TomBrady says he’s ready to step into the new role.https://t.co/1i20oWAnAd pic.twitter.com/jwGAvCr9tg
— Front Office Sports Today (@FOS_Today) January 31, 2024
Of course, Brady was still set to take the field as a member of the Buccaneers for the 2022 NFL season, coming out of retirement less than two months after his initial announcement, which meant he would not be joining the broadcast booth for a while. Eventually, it was announced Brady was going to join the Fox broadcast team for the 2024 NFL season.
This is great for Fox, as he will be paired with great play-by-play announcer Kevin Burkhardt to lead the network’s coverage of the best game assigned to Fox that week.
One unforeseen issue this betrothed marriage between Burkhardt and Brady in the broadcast booth created was what to do with color commentator Greg Olsen, who has received a ton of praise for his excellent work as a broadcaster.
KEEP READING: Best of Tom Brady Roast: Most Hilarious and Shocking Moments
Unfortunately, reports suggest Olsen will drop to the No. 2 NFL Analyst spot for Fox with the debut of Brady in the booth. This demotion of sorts for Olsen also comes at a financial cost, with reports suggesting his salary will also drop by a considerable amount from $10 million to $3 million for the 2024 NFL season.
While this is bad news for Olsen, the intrigue around how Brady will transition to the booth adds an extra level of interest to the NFL games that Fox will broadcast this season.
