I never really thought the end of Tom Brady’s career would include this much drama. Just to recap, Brady left New England to play in Tampa but only after flirting with Miami in a move that would cost the Dolphins a draft pick and suspension of their owner. His time in Tampa was eventful, leading to a World Championship, a divorce and two retirements. In the middle of all of that, Brady received one of the richest deals in TV history, a reported $375 million offer from FOX. Now, the drama appears to be whether or not he actually wants that check.
New York Post sports media columnist Andrew Marchand, historically a very well-wired media reporter, said on his podcast with Sports Business Journal columnist John Ourand that Brady might be waffling on the FOX deal. Brady, for his part, reported he may not be. He simply responded “Fake News”.
According to the original report, extensive travel appears to be the major issue. The New York Post reported that Brady was home shopping in Los Angeles recently. Assuming that is his home base, the travel would be extensive.
The NFL on FOX national game feeds America a steady diet of NFC East games. That is understandable. Every TV market in that division is in the Nielsen Top Ten. It is also on the other side of the country from Los Angeles. Even on NetJets, those miles add up.
Workload may also be a concern for Brady. Though no two crews do it exactly the same way, most Sunday crews arrive in town by Friday to view practice and meet with the home team coaches and players. The crews then meet with the visiting teams after their Saturday arrivals. The late Sunday game usually doesn’t end until after 7:00 ET which means a late arrival, in Brady’s case, back in L.A. Let’s be real here, this isn’t digging ditches but a guy like Brady also doesn’t do anything halfway.
This has always been what I thought was appealing to rich retired players. The TV analyst role still allows them to dive into film study, get the juice of a packed stadium and travel to some of the more vibrant cities in America. It gives them a little of the adrenaline rush they once had without all the conditioning and hard hits. It also pays millions of dollars, which let’s be honest, ain’t bad either.
Not many players have had the competitive drive of Tom Brady. It is how one goes from pick #199 to the greatest to have ever done it. I don’t pretend he can find the same level of competitive satisfaction from being a FOX analyst but, considering the compensation level, this will be the closest Brady can get to the competition he loved and still get paid a king’s ransom. That is why I always thought Brady to FOX was a natural progression. Unlike being an NFL GM or team owner, the FOX booth allows him to remain active in the game while still being free to endorse any product he’d like.
One thing it appears we can remove from the mix is Tom Brady returning to play quarterback. There has been a persistent rumor that those same Dolphins who tampered with Brady before are still interested. One would have to assume that if, indeed, Brady doesn’t want to deal with the travels and immersion of the FOX gig, he doesn’t want to throw himself back into the NFL.
Still, the NFL season is roughly four months away and FOX has shown they are willing to wait on the future Pro Football Hall of Famer. Will that wait extend through a second year of Brady not playing while he sorts out his future? They have waited for him to finish a career, why stop now? FOX has shown, by offering almost $400 million, that they think Brady is their future while it may be entirely unknown if Brady is even any good at this.
To be fair, we didn’t know the answer to that question when it came to Troy Aikman or Tony Romo. Both have proven to be good enough to be paid tens of millions by ESPN and FOX but we, at least, got to see them do a few games first. FOX has bet Brady will be just as good in the booth as he was on the field. Now, the one question we never asked in his playing career: Will Tom Brady show up for the big game?
Ryan Brown is a columnist for Barrett Sports Media, and a co-host of the popular sports audio/video show ‘The Next Round’ formerly known as JOX Roundtable, which previously aired on WJOX in Birmingham. You can find him on Twitter @RyanBrownLive and follow his show @NextRoundLive.
