How Tom Brady prepared for his NFL broadcast debut on Fox

As Tom Brady took his time off between his final NFL game in early 2023 and his debut as a $375 million analyst on Fox Sports this Sunday, he studied the NFL broadcasts as if he were a quarterback trying to figure out a defense.

Brady is known for his meticulousness, not only studying his colleagues, including CBS’ Tony Romo, ESPN’s Troy Aikman and NBC’s Cris Collinsworth to see how they did their jobs, but also in conversations with Fox Sports executive producer Brad Zager, his partner in game coverage Kevin Burkhardt and the network’s main game producer Richie Zyontz. Brady inquired about how much the producers talk into your earpiece during a game or what a director does. He also made it a point to visit every room to memorize the names of everyone on the crew.

“I’m the rookie,” Brady said to one of his new colleagues. “I want to be a good teammate.”

In the face of Brady – the seven-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback who is widely regarded as the greatest player in the history of the sport and now has the most lucrative sportscasting contract of all time – Fox Sports has tried to publicly dampen expectations for what may be the most eagerly awaited debut of a television sportscaster ever.

Fox declined to comment or make Brady available for this article. Brady appeared on Colin Cowherd’s FS1 show “The Herd” on Monday, where he focused primarily on football. All of this is a primary effort to make Sunday and the period afterward as comfortable as possible for Brady, who by all accounts is looking forward to getting started.

“It can’t come soon enough,” Brady Cowherd said of his broadcast debut.

The athlete spoke to sources knowledgeable about Brady’s preparations to find out what the New England Patriots legend has done to be ready for his debut as a television host. The journey began nearly two and a half years ago, when Fox’s Lachlan Murdoch announced the May 2022 signing and reported on the astronomical financials shortly afterward.

Tom Brady commentated on the UFL championship game for Fox in June, his first appearance on the network in preparation for Sunday’s NFL regular-season debut. (Rick Ulreich / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

The following season, Brady’s last as a player, he and Fox Sports executives agreed that he should try to win a Super Bowl since they were scheduled to host it. When he finished his playing days, communication was limited, but the hope was to meet at the Super Bowl, which Brady had won two seasons earlier with his new team, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Brady didn’t make the big game, but the man he replaced, Greg Olsen, did, and received good reviews from Burkhardt on the Fox broadcast. Before the Super Bowl, Fox announced that Brady would take a year off between games and broadcasts. Once he finished his time as quarterback, the real preparations began, which will culminate with Sunday’s game between the Dallas Cowboys and the Cleveland Browns.

At 47, Brady will once again be the center of attention as his first season as an NFL commentator ends with him standing alongside Burkhardt and commentating on the Super Bowl on February 9 in New Orleans.

The venue for the big game offers perfect symmetry to the time 22 years ago when Brady won his first Super Bowl at the Superdome, which happened to be the last broadcast for Fox’s legendary team of Pat Summerall and John Madden.

Brady has spoken openly about how he connected with Romo, Collinsworth, Aikman and seemingly every sportscaster in the business. But on Sunday, Fox Sports’ top producers drilled the advice into his head: “Be yourself!”

While Fox is trying to temper expectations by largely scaling back official media coverage, it’s going all out this weekend. On Saturday, Brady will announce the teaser for Fox’s broadcast of his alma mater Michigan’s game against Texas and then appear at halftime, according to sources familiar with the network’s plans.

Brady played his final game on January 16, 2023, completing 35 of 66 passes against the Cowboys for 351 yards in a 31-14 wild-card loss. Shortly thereafter, he announced his retirement and took his gap year before heading to the locker room.

The seemingly jet-setting Brady has been to Fox Sports several times, working monitors and commenting on old games. In May, he practiced in Detroit, commentating with Burkhardt on the Michigan Panthers-Memphis Showboats game.

“He’s a grinder,” a new colleague described him.

Brady has done two and a half NFL games live. In early August, he did half of a preseason game between the Los Angeles Chargers and Seattle Seahawks on Saturday and the entire game between the LA Rams and Cowboys the next game. His last practice came at the end of August at a game between the San Francisco 49ers and Las Vegas Raiders. Earlier this summer, he made his first broadcast appearance during the network’s UFL coverage.

Tom Brady seems to be feeling pretty comfortable in his new job 👏

He makes his commentary debut for @FOXSports at the UFL championship game.

🎥 @TheUFLpic.twitter.com/4Hk6fqcMUX

— The Athlete (@TheAthletic) June 16, 2024

In the eight months leading up to these live rehearsals, Brady has been working flat out. In January, he observed NBC’s production in Miami, where he lives, standing in the booth next to Collinsworth and live commentator Mike Tirico and going into the truck with executive producer Rob Hyland. In addition to the location, part of the reason Brady observed the NBC crew rather than Fox’s was out of respect for Olsen, who will be moved to the No. 2 crew with Brady’s arrival.

Fox and Brady have tried to create the niche for him to succeed. Last April, he was the center of attention at a luxurious retreat with his top Fox teammates, including dinners that caught the attention of Page 6 of the New York Post and TMZ, which circulated Zager’s picture alongside Brady all over the internet.

These are just a few of the many outings the Fox staff made with Brady to make Sunday a smooth affair. Those who dealt with him can’t get over the star status that surrounds him, which is saying a lot considering players like Derek Jeter, David Ortiz and Terry Bradshaw are part of Fox Sports’ roster of big names.

Whenever Brady takes the field this preseason, he’s immediately the center of attention. Players like the Cowboys’ Micah Parsons find their way up to Brady and, in one case, even ask him to take photos of him with their phones.

Meanwhile, as ESPN first reported, the NFL has ruled that Brady will not be allowed to attend team production meetings given his involvement as a limited partner in the Raiders.

This decision will likely disappoint coaches and players more than it will actually affect Brady’s performance. (Brady is not prohibited from talking to coaches or players on the phone, and Burkhardt, Erin Andrews and Tom Rinaldi can relay information. Fox doesn’t seem concerned about that.)

Tom Brady talks with Dallas’ Micah Parsons (left) and Trevon Diggs before last month’s preseason game between the Cowboys and Rams. Brady commentated on two full preseason games leading up to Sunday. (James D. Smith via AP)

With all that training, Brady’s performance will likely depend on his timing, which might be the most difficult aspect for new commentators. The gap year was Brady’s decision, but probably a good one for his development.

Players who achieve what Brady has achieved don’t dream from a young age of sitting in the commentary booth and commentating a Super Bowl. They dream of winning as a quarterback. So they don’t study the mechanics of being a good commentator. Brady, sources say, has worked meticulously to understand the process.

“I’ve never met anyone so curious about how everything works,” said a colleague from Fox Sports.

There’s no doubt Brady will see the game at the level of Peyton Manning, with the same perfection in noticing details. Brady doesn’t need to be overly critical, although he did say on his SiriusXM podcast that he wants to emulate longtime, snarky golf analyst Johnny Miller. He could make headlines, even if it’s not intentional, simply by being who he is.

What Brady has tried to learn, and what he will improve with more reps throughout the season, is timing during the game. There are a limited number of seconds to talk between plays, and what the average fan needs to understand is different than what a quarterback trying to win every play needs to know.

To put it in quarterback terms, Brady has worked to progress quickly while showing personality. He’s learned the mechanics and focuses on making one point rather than several at once.

He’s spoken to many, and while he obviously agreed to join Fox because of the unprecedented offer, the rookie seems to be fully committed. He calls his new partners at random times to spend an hour talking about how he can improve, and then is receptive to real-time coaching during practice. Sources with knowledge of Brady’s training seem to believe he’s prepared and ready to show his passion for the game in a way that hasn’t been fully seen before.

“He’s like a little kid,” one of the sources said. “He’s so excited. He loves the game of football.”

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(Top image: Meech Robinson / The athlete; Photo: Harry How / Getty Images)