Fox Sports is apparently practicing patience while Tom Brady adjusts to his first year in the booth as their lead $375 million NFL analyst.
Brady, 47, is being coached up by Fox producers, who wanted him to incorporate more of what he’s seeing on the field into his commentary — and less intangibles, according to John Ourand’s latest Puck Newsletter.
Brady has shown progression and more animation across his first 10 games in the booth, focusing on the development of young players and veteran leadership in his commentary.
Fox insiders are said to be confident that Brady will continue to improve.
Brady signed a 10-year, $375 million deal with Fox Sports in May 2022. He took a year off in 2023 before joining play-by-play voice Kevin Burkhardt in the booth as Fox’s No. 1 broadcast duo this season.
In earlier weeks, Brady was quieter while getting his bearings in the booth.
He’s fine-tuned some silent gaps and delayed responses to plays and has seemed more comfortable on the mic as the weeks progressed.
Brady’s new gig has come into question due to his NFL ownership.
The future Hall of Famer agreed to acquire a minority stake in the Raiders back in May 2023, but the deal was delayed due to questions about Brady’s role in the media.
Many — including Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio and Dan Patrick — have questioned how Brady can juggle both due to restrictions put on his media role by the league.
Brady has to follow a different set of rules as a broadcaster now that he is an NFL owner.
He can’t enter team locker rooms and he can’t publicly critique officials, among other things — which Patrick said he believes are the “Tom Brady rules” put in place by the NFL so that he can juggle both jobs.
Brady retired after winning seven Super Bowls across 23 seasons in 2023.