FOX Sports is adding Drew Brees to its NFL studio coverage this weekend. The former Super Bowl MVP quarterback will serve as a guest analyst on Fox NFL Kickoff and Fox NFL Sunday during Week 3 of the season.
For now, the move is temporary. Brees will be filling in for Julian Edelman on Fox NFL Kickoff as the former New England Patriots receiver is inducted into the team’s Hall of Fame on Sunday. That puts Brees at the desk with Charissa Thompson, Charles Woodson and Jay Glazer.
Later in the day, Brees will also appear on Fox NFL Sunday, where he will work alongside with the program’s established crew.
The appearance marks a return to NFL studio television for the former quarterback. After retiring from the New Orleans Saints, Brees joined NBC Sports in 2021. He contributed to Football Night in America and worked select Notre Dame and NFL games in the booth. His stint was short-lived, however, as he stepped away from NBC before the 2022 season.
During that period, there had been speculation that FOX might pursue Brees for a more permanent role, but the move never materialized. His guest spot this weekend revives some of that conversation, even if FOX is only labeling it as a one-week commitment.
Brees has been making several guest appearances on sports talk programs across the country. Most notably last month where he joined The Dan Patrick Show, and discussed getting another shot in the broadcast booth.
“I have so much respect for the guys doing it right now,” Brees said last month. “But I’d step in the booth right now and be a top-three guy—without question. And give me a few years, I could be the best.”
Brees addressed parting ways with NBC after just one season in the interview with Patrick. A decision he says was entirely his, based largely on family and coaching commitments that conflicted with the network’s travel demands.
“I departed because I wanted to spend more time with my kids on weekends, coaching ball,” he said. “It didn’t work flying to Connecticut every week while also doing Notre Dame games. It was my decision to step away from NBC, it was not theirs.”
Though he emphasized his appreciation for NBC and named several executives and producers who supported him during his time with the company, Brees made it clear the narrative that he was pushed out is false.
“They wanted me back,” Brees said. “I think it got reported a little bit differently, and now that’s somehow become the narrative. It could not be further from the truth.”
Brees remains involved in broadcasting on a limited basis. He will serve as a game analyst on Netflix’s Christmas Day NFL broadcast. He’ll be paired with play-by-play announcer Noah Eagle for that presentation, marking another high-profile appearance outside of traditional network television.
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