Tom Brady News Emerges Days Before Divisional Round of NFL Playoffs

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Fox's Tom Brady will call the 49ers-Seahawks playoff game.

The Seattle Seahawks host the San Francisco 49ers in a primetime rematch on Saturday, January 17, 2026. When the NFC West rivals square off, the two squads will be getting the star treatment from Fox.

Fox’s game in the divisional round is the 49ers-Seahawks matchup which means the top broadcast crew of Tom Brady and Kevin Burkhardt are headed to the Pacific Northwest to call the playoff contest. The Niners-Seahawks game kicks off at 8 p.m. Eastern on Fox on Saturday night.

Additionally, Erin Andrews and Tom Rinaldi are expected to be on the broadcast as Fox’s sideline reporters.

Here’s what you need to know about the upcoming 49ers-Seahawks game.

Fox’s Tom Brady Has Drawn Praise for Improvement as an NFL Broadcaster

There were some ups and downs during his first year as an NFL announcer, but Brady has drawn recent praise for his performance during his second season with Fox. Brady recently opened up about changes he made to his approach in the booth.

“In the booth, I wanted to be quicker, more incisive,” Brady wrote in a December 30, newsletter story. “I wanted to feel more comfortable. I wanted to feel better at picking my spots and knocking it out of the park with just enough of the most useful information at the right time. Like everything I put my heart into, I wanted to be the best I could be; not just for myself, but for my teammates and the fans, as well.

“To do that, I watched a lot of tape back from last season, again just like I did when I was a quarterback. I got advice from friends whose opinions I respected and from others colleagues whose experience I admired. I changed a bit about how I prepare for games and reorganized the information I have at my disposal over the course of these weeks.”

Seahawks HC Mike Macdonald Gets Candid on Facing 49ers in NFL Playoffs: ‘We Probably Overthink Some Things’

It will mark Brady’s second straight 49ers game as the former NFL quarterback and Burkhardt also called the Niners’ win over the Philadelphia Eagles. Initially, it was unclear if the 49ers-Seahawks contest would be the early or late game on Saturday, January 17.

The 12s will be treated to a primetime rivalry clash with a spot in the NFC Championship on the line. Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald admitted it is a challenge to not “overthink” the planning process against a familiar division foe.

“I think it’s what you make it,” Macdonald said on facing the 49ers, per Seahawks.com. “Classic Seahawk fashion, maybe we probably overthink some things. Try not to, but I think it’s maybe an accelerated timeframe than you normally would from another divisional game that you play twice with not quite enough sample in between to see where they’re going.

“So you’re really just going off of how you felt like you played the game, things you did well, maybe where you think they might take things.”

NFL Playoff Schedule 2026: The 49ers-Seahawks Game Headlines the Saturday, January 17, Slate of Matchups

The Seahawks are a 7-point favorite against the 49ers, per FanDuel. Here’s a look at the full NFL playoff schedule. All times listed below are in Eastern.