Fox has ‘no plans’ for Tom Brady in their Super Bowl LVII booth

When Fox Sports announced in May that they had signed Tom Brady to become an NFL analyst as soon as his playing career ended, it sounded like a foregone conclusion that he would end up taking part in their Super Bowl LVII coverage if he and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers weren’t playing.

Well, the Bucs aren’t going to make it to the Super Bowl this year, clearing up Brady’s schedule as he decides what he’s doing professionally next season. However, according to The Athletic’s Richard Deitsch, there are currently “no plans” for Brady to take part in Fox’s coverage of the big game.

For those wondering about Tom Brady/Fox NFL: Multiple industry sources say Fox Sports has no plans to use Brady in the booth for the Super Bowl. You never know with the pregame given how long that show goes. But Burkhardt/Olsen is the plan. Fox Sports declined comment on it.

— Richard Deitsch (@richarddeitsch) January 18, 2023

“For those wondering about Tom Brady/Fox NFL: Multiple industry sources say Fox Sports has no plans to use Brady in the booth for the Super Bowl,” said Deitsch on Wednesday. “You never know with the pregame given how long that show goes. But Burkhardt/Olsen is the plan. Fox Sports declined comment on it.”

That’s different from what Michael McCarthy of Front Office Sports said in October. McCarthy reported at the time that Fox was already trying to figure out how to get Brady involved in its Super Bowl coverage, though that included the possibility of pregame appearances.

Brady’s impending move to the broadcasting booth has been a lightning rod for criticism since it was announced. Media members have lined up to say that they don’t think Brady will work in the booth and that the $375 million price tag makes him more of a “trophy” than a valuable media asset. Brady himself has even said he knows there will be “growing pains” given his lack of experience., though he expects to be “scathing” as an analyst.

And then there’s Greg Olsen, whom Fox elevated as their No. 1 analyst right before announcing that Brady will essentially move into his spot whenever he’s ready. If Brady were to work the Super Bowl in some capacity, that might be where that process begins. And that sounds pretty awkward.

All signs do indeed point to Fox sticking with its No. 1 team of Kevin Burkhardt and Olsen. The duo is already under enough of a microscope working their first Super Bowl together in the shadow of  Joe Buck and Troy Aikman. Adding an untested and unproven Brady into the mix during the most-watched telecast of the year sounds like a car crash waiting to happen.

However, if Fox does attempt to find a way to work Brady into the broadcast, expect it to happen during the pregame or halftime coverage, perhaps as a special guest analyst on the studio show, as if that desk needs more people sitting behind it.

[The Athletic’s Richard Deitsch]