Despite watching Tom Brady sign a $375 million contract with Fox, Joe Buck isn’t sold that the NFL quarterback will ever call a game for the network.
Buck joined Jimmy Traina on the latest episode of the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast. During their conversation, Traina attempted to take a victory lap for asking Buck if Brady could replace Troy Aikman as his broadcast partner with Fox back in January. At the time, Buck scoffed at Traina’s idea when it was broached. Buck ultimately moved to ESPN and rejoined Aikman, negating the opportunity to call games with an even better quarterback, but Traina still sought some kudos considering “Brady’s at Fox now.”
“Oh he is?” Buck asked. “Because he did a FIFA promo for the World Cup?”
In July, Buck said Fox floated the idea of pairing him with Brady before the renowned play-by-play announcer left for ESPN. But according to his latest interview on the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast, Buck and Fox are both skeptical about Brady ever calling a game for the network.
“I think there’s so much up in the air in his life right now,” Buck said. “For anybody to go, ‘he’s 100 percent doing X,Y, or Z’ I don’t think that’s possible.”
Pressed on whether there’s a chance that Brady walks away from his $375 million contract before it ever kicks in, Buck said “yeah.”
“Is there a chance? Yeah, I think there’s a chance,” Buck told Traina. “Who knows where his family life takes him, who knows if he plays one more year or he doesn’t. I know there are people at Fox who would say there’s a chance that he doesn’t call a game there.”
Many fans and analysts have been skeptical of Brady’s $375 million deal with Fox, but one would assume the network is a little more confident about their investment.
Brady’s family dynamic has changed in recent months and his professional life has been rumored to go in a variety of different directions, with his future being linked to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the San Francisco 49ers, Miami Dolphins and Fox. But it is interesting to hear it from Buck that even Fox isn’t sure about Brady following through on his $375 million contract, especially amid other reports that the network is already preparing for him to contribute to their Super Bowl coverage later this season.
About Brandon Contes
Brandon Contes is a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. He previously helped carve the sports vertical for Mediaite and spent more than three years with Barrett Sports Media. Send tips/comments/complaints to bcontes@thecomeback.com