Tom Brady will take a gap year between the NFL and the broadcast booth.
Brady, who announced his retirement for the second time last week, revealed Monday that he will be waiting to enter Fox Sports’ top NFL broadcast booth until the fall of 2024 after agreeing to a 10-year, $375 million contract with Fox last year.
“Decompression’s really important,” Brady said, when asked by Colin Cowherd on FS1’s “The Herd” if he will take some time to unwind between now and his future endeavors. “You’re on this really crazy treadmill, hamster wheel for a long time, loving the moment and journey. At the same time, it’s a daily fight.
“I have appreciation for so many people that are so committed every day to showing up, to put their max effort into their life and career. For me, I want to be great at what I do — talking, even last week, with the people at Fox Sports, and the leadership there, allowing me to start my Fox opportunity in 2024, something that’s great for me.
“So, take some time to really learn, become great at what I want to do, become great about thinking about the opportunity, and making sure I don’t rush into anything. When people really bet on me, whether it was when I was drafted by the Patriots or signing in free agency with the Bucs, I wanted to be fully committed and I never wanted to let people down. I think my biggest motivator was that. So, even in the future, I want to be great at what I do, and that always takes some time and strategizing and learning and growing and evolving, and I have so many people I can rely on that can support me in that growth too. It’s going to be a great opportunity for me to take some time and really become [great] at my Fox broadcasting job, which I’m really looking forward to, but also catching up on other parts of my life that need some time and energy.”
His delayed entry means Kevin Burkhardt and Greg Olsen, who will be calling Super Bowl LVII between the Chiefs and Eagles for Fox on Sunday, will be back as the top team next season.
Brady, 45, retired last Wednesday via a selfie video shot on the beach after a 23-year NFL career and seven Super Bowl championships. This past season was a tumultuous one. While the Bucs won the NFC South, they went 8-9, Brady’s first losing season as a starter, and were beaten handily in the first round of the playoffs at home by the Cowboys.
Brady also went through a divorce with model Gisele Bundchen after 13 years of marriage. Brady and Bundchen share a son and daughter together, and Brady also has another son from a previous relationship with actress Bridget Moynahan.