Getty Tom Brady's future for 2023 remains up in the air.
Tom Brady is going to earn even more money after his NFL career ends with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers than he did as a quarterback. Brady has agreed to an eye-popping 10-year, $375 million deal with Fox Sports to be their lead NFL analyst whenever his playing career ends, per New York Post’s Andrew Marchand. Fox will pay Brady more money annually than the $33.5 million that Troy Aikman and Joe Buck previously earned combined.
For context, Brady will make much more money in the broadcast booth than the $332 million the quarterback is estimated to have earned over his career after the 2022 season, per Spotrac. Thanks to a combination of his signing bonus and salary, Brady will earn $30 million with the Bucs in 2022, but his average annual salary as a broadcaster will be $37.5 million.
Brady has not revealed a particular timeline for when he will begin his new career, but his current contract with the Bucs ends after the 2022 season. The legendary quarterback will technically be a free agent in 2023, but this new deal with Fox indicates Brady is likely embarking on his final NFL season.
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Brady’s New Fox Contract More Than Doubles Romo’s $180 Million Deal With CBS
There is a reasonable debate to be had as to whether a broadcasting company is wise to pay an announcer, Brady or otherwise, an obscene amount of money for their commentary. Football fans typically tune into games for the specific matchup, not the broadcast pairing.
Brady’s new contract more than doubles the 10-year, $180 million deal Tony Romo landed with CBS. Fox CEO Lachlan Murdoch explained why they were aggressive in signing Brady and revealed that the quarterback will be paired with Kevin Burkhardt to call “our biggest NFL games.”
“We are pleased to announce that immediately following his playing career, 7-time Super Bowl Champion Tom Brady will be joining us at Fox Sports as our lead analyst,” Murdoch said in a May 11, 2022 statement. “Over the course of this long-term agreement, Tom will not only call our biggest NFL games with Kevin Burkhardt, but will also serve as an ambassador for us, particularly with respect to client and promotional initiatives. We are delighted that Tom has committed to joining the Fox team and wish him all the best during this upcoming season.”
Brady: ‘Excited, But a Lot of Unfinished Business on the Field With the Buccaneers’
Brady confirmed the news of his eventual new career path with a viral tweet but added that he is focused on the “unfinished business” the quarterback has to take care of with the Bucs. The star’s retirement did not even last two months before Brady revealed on March 13 he was returning for his 23rd season.
“Excited, but a lot of unfinished business on the field with the @Buccaneers #LFG,” Brady responded after news broke of his new Fox deal.
Buccaneers offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich described Brady as a “football junkie” and outlined what fans can expect to hear from Brady as an analyst.
“Well, I think that’s excellent, and it’s crazy when you’re 45 and you have to think of your next job when you’re still playing football, right?” Leftwich explained during a May 10 press conference. “You have to do this early, right. Well, it’s the way he see football. That’s what I love, that’s what makes our relationship unique. The way he sees football. I love [that] the way that he sees football is similar to the way that I saw it.
“…He’s a football junkie, and he has an interesting perspective of the position. And I think it would be great for everyone to hear that. To see how he’s wired, the way that he sees football, because we’re talking about the best ever, right? The fact that we get the best ever to play the quarterback position have an opportunity to listen to him talk about football a year from now, two years from now, three years from now is a great thing.”
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Bucs QB Tom Brady Lands Staggering New Record-Breaking Deal: Report