When Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady officially retires from the NFL (for real), he will be joining Fox Sports as the network’s lead analyst.
Fox Corporation CEO Lachlan Murdoch revealed Brady’s multi-year deal with Fox Sports during an investor call. There is currently no timeline for when the legendary football player will begin at the network, as it depends on when he decides to hang up his boots for good. However, he is expected to call NFL games with regular Fox Sports announcer Kevin Burkhardt when he starts the role.
“[Brady] 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,” Murdoch said (via Variety).
“We are pleased to announce that immediately following his playing career, 7-time Super Bowl Champion Tom Brady will be joining us at @FOXSports as our lead analyst. pic.twitter.com/fJTOQJ9BwM
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) May 10, 2022
Back in February, Brady announced that he was stepping away from his career on the field. This retirement lasted just 40 days, as on March 13, the 7-time Super Bowl winner took to social media to reveal he was returning to the game.
“These past two months I’ve realized my place is still on the field and not in the stands,” he wrote. “That time will come. But it’s not now. I love my teammates, and I love my supportive family. They make it all possible. I’m coming back for my 23rd season in Tampa. Unfinished business LFG.”
Brady’s deal with Fox Sports comes after the recent departures of the network’s mainstay announcers, Joe Buck and Troy Aikman, who left to join rival network ESPN. It is the latest in a string of major talent changes across the TV networks as they look to entice bigger audiences following the substantial costs of a new 11-year deal with the National Football League.
The 2022 NFL season will kick off on September 8, 2022.