Tom Brady's Fox contract that's reportedly worth an exorbitant amount of money is finally set to go into effect this season, as he'll step into the broadcast booth when the NFL season begins on the 2024 TV schedule. While he was the "G.O.A.T." on the gridiron, it remains to be seen if he'll have the same success calling games as other quarterbacks that came before him, like Tony Romo or Troy Aikman. Terry Bradshaw, perhaps the greatest QB turned NFL personality of them all, made some good points about Brady's transition, and how it may be a struggle for him.
As someone who wasn't alive for Terry Bradshaw's legendary NFL career, I know him much better as a key member of the Fox NFL Sunday lineup. So, I could think of no better person to talk about Tom Brady's transition to the broadcast booth. The four-time Super Bowl champion told US Weekly he could see TB12 having issues, especially when it comes to opening up for the camera:
Tom has always had a protection thing there. We know about his wife, we know about his kids. We know a little bit about him, but we don’t really know him. In Tom’s situation, there is a certain amount of unknown that spurs on curiosity.
Terry Bradshaw makes a good point, and I think it will be challenging for Tom Brady to drop some boundaries to become an effective voice during NFL games. Perhaps that was why he agreed to do that live roast, which is still available to stream with a Netflix subscription. Of course, we've since heard rumors that the roast stirred up additional drama in his family, so perhaps he'll be extra diligent not to put a target on his family when he goes to live television.
As a longtime fan of Brady, however, I can say that's not the only barrier he has. As his response to the Robert Kraft joke at the roast showed, he's very protective of the New England Patriots as an organization and apprehensive to speak on the behind-the-scenes details of their dynasty eras. Should anything about that come up on air, will he freeze up, or open up? Terry Bradshaw talked additionally about the struggles of being on television, but noted he's rooting for the new commentator:
I want him to be great, and I think he will be. But we don’t know enough about him. Will we see a different side? Will he be funny? Will he be witty? Will he break the game down properly? I’m pulling for him, because television is not easy. You can’t lie to the camera because it picks it up.
I think that Tom Brady will be up for the task, considering calling an NFL game will rely more on his knowledge of the game rather than personal details about his life. The quarterback has previously said he wouldn't do another roast because of how it impacted his family, and I don't see those types of questions being broached in the middle of a football game. Then again, who would've thought we would've heard so much about Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's relationship last season?
Tom Brady still has some time to prepare for his broadcast debut, as he won't step into the booth until Sunday, September 8th at 4:25 p.m. ET. I'm sure Fox will make that matchup between the Dallas Cowboys and Cleveland Browns the game of the week, so everyone can tune in to see how the future Hall of Fame player will perform on the mic. The pressure will be on, but we've seen him come through plenty of times before.
With the summer months still rolling on, it'll be a while before we get to the NFL season. The 2024 TV schedule should keep sports fans occupied in the meantime, so give it a look and see what great stuff is on television right now.
