The NFL won't be getting rid of Tom Brady even after his playing days are over.
The 44-year-old Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback will join FOX Sports as their lead NFL analyst "immediately following his playing career," FOX executive chair and CEO Lachlan Murdoch announced Tuesday morning in a statement.
Brady briefly retired this offseason after his 22nd NFL season but announced in March he'll return to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for a 23rd season. It sounds like Brady can continue playing as long as he wants but will enter a "long-term agreement" with FOX as a broadcast analyst once he decides to hang them up. The New York Post's Andrew Marchand reported that Brady's deal with FOX is for 10 years and $375 million.
The former New England Patriots quarterback will join play-by-play announcer Kevin Burkhardt on FOX Sports' lead broadcast team but will also serve as an "ambassador" for the network with a focus on "client and promotional initiatives," according to Murdoch.
Brady's commitment to the broadcast booth is somewhat surprising, as the seven-time Super Bowl champion has several business initiatives outside football as well as family commitments that led him to initially retire back in February. In addition to his TB12 Sports empire and production company, 199 Productions, Brady recently launched an eponymous clothing line and is involved in the NFT platform Autograph.
Maybe Brady knows he won't be able to stay away from the game in retirement, though, and it will be interesting to see how he fares as a broadcaster after opening up a bit more in his dealings with the media after leaving the Patriots for the Bucs in 2020.