When NFL fans turn on the Detroit Lions vs Washington Commanders game on Saturday, they will hear Tom Brady in the biggest game of his FOX broadcasting career, so far. But the network has the NFC Championship Game and Super Bowl and will have the green color man on the call there too. But Brady also has an ownership stake in the Las Vegas Raiders, which has many wondering if he could leave the booth. His agent told the Sports Business Journal neither role will end soon.
“Tom has had a tremendous amount of fun working with Fox this year, and he’s really excited about the future with Fox and his growth on their team,” Don Yee told Ben Fischer. “And this year was the first year of a long relationship.”
Brady has a FOX contract worth $37.5 million per year for ten years. While his broadcasting rookie season has not drawn rave reviews, Brady will give it another shot with Kevin Burkhardt next season. But first, he will help hire the Raiders coach.
Brady is part of the coaching search in Las Vegas, which includes Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson. The former quarterback has specific rules for broadcasts that will make playoff commentary difficult.
Tom Brady's broadcast skills must improve
Tom Brady does not have the benefit of the doubt from fans this season despite being the greatest quarterback of all time, . People love Greg Olsen and replacing him with Brady, who has special rules preventing him from going to meetings, was an unpopular decision. Whether he improves next season or not will be a big talking point.
Brady is not allowed in pre-game meetings, which has impacted his knowledge of the game plan. He is also not allowed to criticize officials. Officiating has been a talking point in the playoffs for the last few years and might impact one of the final three games he calls. If a bad call impacts a game, the internet won't be too kind to Brady.
After the Lions' season ends, Johnson will likely interview for the Raiders head coaching job. It will certainly benefit Brady that he saw Johnson up close in at least one playoff game heading into that interview. Other teams do not necessarily have that advantage and might consider this a conflict of interest.
Tom Brady and Kevin Burkhardt are on the call for the Washington Commanders @ Detroit Lions game. That is on FOX at 8 p.m. on Saturday.
