Tom Brady makes FOX broadcast debut during the UFL championship game originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
Tom Brady has officially returned to football, but in a new role.
The future Hall of Fame quarterback is now a rookie analyst and officially made his debut in the FOX broadcast booth during Sunday’s United Football League championship game.
Brady, who will become the network’s lead NFL analyst when the season begins in September, joined the broadcast during the second quarter of a scoreless game between the Birmingham Stallions and San Antonio Brahmas in St. Louis.
“Bring in a little offense, you know him, you love him, Tom Brady…” said play-by-play announcer Curt Menefee as he welcomed Brady to the booth.
“I can’t get on the field there anymore, what are you talking about?” said Brady, dressed in a suit and headphones.
The seven-time Super Bowl champion, who was inducted into the New England Patriots Hall of Fame on Wednesday, gave some advice to the struggling offenses participating in the game during his first segment.
“Somebody’s got to get the ball down the field and try to open this field up a little bit,” he said. “It’s a lot of horizontal passes, and the defenses are swarming and trying to knock the ball out. So let them defend every piece of glass, that’s what we always said.”
Brady, 46, reportedly agreed to a 10-year, $375 million deal with FOX in 2022 before opting to return for one final season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He will work with play-by-play commentator Kevin Burkhardt, replacing former tight end and lead analyst Greg Olsen.
Brady will make his NFL regular-season broadcasting debut on September 8 when the Cleveland Browns host the Dallas Cowboys.
He got his first warm-up Sunday when he joined Menefee and analyst Joel Klatt during the UFL game. Brady later appeared on stage after the Stallions’ 25-0 victory to present the MVP award to quarterback Adrian Martinez.
Brady discussed his second career during an upcoming interview on NFL Network’s “The Insiders.”
“I’ve learned a lot of things playing football that will hopefully allow me to convey some really unique things to listeners every week, but at the same time there’s going to be a lot of growth that’s going to happen. I’m going to have that over time,” Brady said. “So if When I get out of the box, I want to do well, but I also know that I am not a finished product, that I will make a lot of mistakes, but that I will learn along the way. “
