Tom Brady is living an NFL double life.
The seven-time Super Bowl champion quarterback kicked off an historic deal to be the top NFL analyst for Fox Sports this season, while his agreement to purchase a minority stake in the Las Vegas Raiders was approved in October.
That arrangement led the NFL to put limitations in place on what Brady can do as a broadcaster. Brady cannot be overly critical of players (a line he may have crossed on Thanksgiving) or referees, participate in interviews with coaches or players during the week, or visit opposing teams’ facilities.
In a new interview on Break 50 with golfer Bryson DeChambeau, the longtime New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers star gave one of his clearest indications yet of where his biggest impact will come in retirement — and it’s not the broadcast booth.
“I get to be involved in the NFL for as long as I’m around, basically, because of ownership,” Brady told DeChambeau. “Being a broadcaster has been amazing, but also knowing beyond that, I get to be involved in the sport I love for the rest of my life and try to impact the game in a positive way and call out what I like, what I don’t like.”
Brady went into business with Raiders owner Mark Davis in early 2023 when he invested in Davis’ WNBA team, the Las Vegas Aces. Around that same time, Brady and venture capitalist Tom Wagner made a bid for a five percent stake each in the Raiders.
Many expect Brady to have a major voice in football operations, an idea he appeared to echo on Break 50.
“Sports brings everyone together … my best memories of playing sports is the team element,” Brady said. “I had so many people come into my life that enabled me to be the best I could be in my career. And now it’s like, I get to be a mentor for so many other guys. That’s the best part for me.”
Brady has nine years left of his record 10-year, $375 million contract with Fox. The network demoted highly regarded analyst Greg Olsen after he called a Super Bowl in 2023 in order to bring Brady in.
But in part due to his uneven start as a broadcaster and in part due to having his other foot in ownership, it’s an open question whether Brady will finish out his Fox deal. NFL insider Mike Florio even revealed that many executives around the league don’t believe Brady is as invested this season as initial reports suggested.
While Brady has been more available for interviews and public comments this season than ever before, he is still pretty quiet compared with the typical legendary athlete. We can’t know exactly what Brady is thinking about broadcasting versus ownership, but these comments speak volumes as he approaches the end of his first season at Fox.
[Bryson DeChambeau on YouTube]
About Brendon Kleen
Brendon is a Media Commentary staff writer at Awful Announcing. He has also covered basketball and sports business at Front Office Sports, SB Nation, Uproxx and more.