Tom Brady has a full year to prepare for his highly anticipated broadcasting debut with Fox. And ESPN’s Joe Buck, the former lead NFL on Fox voice, is willing to help.
Buck recently spoke to Derek Futterman in a feature for Barrett Sports Media. During the interview, the Monday Night Football voice addressed Brady’s looming broadcasting career with Fox.
Upon being gifted the Tampa Bay Buccaneers-Dallas Cowboys Wild Card playoff game on ESPN, Buck and Troy Aikman met with Brady for their traditional pregame production meeting. During the chat, Buck asked Brady about the prospect of being on the media side of those meetings in the near future. That saw the seven-time Super Bowl champion express his desire to consult with them on broadcasting advice.
“I would do [that] in a heartbeat with all the help he’s given us over the years,” Buck told Barrett Sports Media about helping Brady transition to the booth. “There’s going to be a bit of a learning curve for Tom. I expect him to do it and do it well, but it’s a weird kind of thing to do. There’s a bit of acting involved. It’s a presentation as much as just knowing football. I’m sure he’ll be great, but I’m anxious to see.”
Maybe the acting involved is a vote of confidence for Brady. On the heels of 80 for Brady getting released, the retired NFL quarterback now has more experience in acting than broadcasting, despite garnering a $375 million contract from Fox to be their lead analyst starting in the fall of 2024.
Buck later added “Anybody would be an idiot to bet against him.” There are plenty of “idiots,” however, who question Brady’s ability to entertain considering his propensity to avoid saying anything interesting during press conferences and interviews. And there are plenty of “idiots” who still question whether Brady will ever enter the booth for Fox. Count some people at Fox among them, at least according to Buck, who said last year there are some at the network who would admit there’s a chance Brady never calls a game there.
In defense of those people, perhaps their opinions of Brady have changed since he retired from the NFL for a second time and stated his plans to join Fox in the fall of 2024. Last month, Brady told Colin Cowherd he plans on taking a gap year to prepare for his grand unveiling as an analyst. And if former Fox announcers Buck and Aikman are willing to help Brady during his upcoming gap year, those are solid consultants for him to have on his side.
