Fox has announced that legendary quarterback Tom Brady will join them as their lead NFL analyst when his playing career has ended, with reports claiming he will receive a whopping $375 million across a 10-year contract which will be the most lucrative in the history of sports broadcasting.
The unrivaled seven-time Super Bowl winner is still plying his trade for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers aged 44 after going back on a decision to retire in the post-season.
Once he has finally hung up his cleats, however, the ex-New England Patriot will join Fox alongside lead play-by-play announcer Kevin Burkhardt and as an "ambassador" focusing on "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," said Fox CEO Lachlan Murdoch, as Brady tweeted that he was "excited" about his new job yet still has "a lot of unfinished business on the field with the Buccaneers."
Murdoch insisted it is "entirely" up to Brady when he retires and assumes his role at Fox, and that might not be any time soon given he led the league in passing yards (5,316) and touchdowns (43), which were both career highs, last season.
Simultaneously, though, Brady has received support from those within the Bucs franchise, such as offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich, for already preparing his life after football.
"I think that's excellent," said Leftwich to ESPN. "It's crazy when you're 45, you have to think of your next job when you're still playing football, right? You have to do this early, right?"
"But it's the way he sees football," Leftwich went on. "That's what I love. That's what makes our relationship unique – the way he sees football. I love the way he sees football. It's similar to the way I saw it."
"He's a football junkie and he has an interesting perspective of this position, and I think it would be great for everyone to hear that, everyone to hear it, to see/hear how he's wired, the way that he sees football, because we're talking about the best ever, right? The fact that you 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."
At Fox, Brady will indirectly succeed a fellow legendary quarterback in former Dallas Cowboys ace Troy Aikman, who has moved to ESPN with Joe Buck.
He also follows in the footsteps of another ex-Cowboy in Tony Romo, now at CBS, ex-New Orleans Saint Drew Brees, who worked for NBC last season, and the Manning brothers Eli and Peyton who recently ran the ManningCast on ESPN's Monday Night Football.
But the reported $375 million Brady will be paid dwarves Romo's $180 million 10-year deal and the $90 million Aikman was offered to jump ship to ESPN for five years.
Furthermore, the sum also eclipses the more than $300 million Brady has made in his 23-year playing career, according to the Roster Management System, though Fox dispute the numbers they have lured Brady with.
"What has been reported isn’t an accurate description of the deal and we have not released details beyond what was disclosed on our quarterly earnings call,” said Fox corporate spokesman Brian Nick.
For the upcoming 2022 season set to kick off on September 8, the NFL's all-time leader in touchdown passes (624) and passing yards (84,520) will be paid $15 million by the Buccanneers where he is about to start his third term since leaving the Patriots in 2020.