The former New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers star is off the field and in the broadcast booth.
Let’s be honest. You’re probably watching the Super Bowl right now, catching one of a few NFL games you’ll sit down for every year and a jolt of lightning hits your brain as Tom Brady picked up the microphone for his broadcasting as a Fox analyst.
Tom Brady? The quarterback? Is an announcer now???
Yep. It’s real. He’s back at the Super Bowl this time hoping to win an Emmy.
Brady retired after the 2022 season. In a video posted a video to his Twitter account on February 1, 2023, Brady sat on a beach and confirmed he was done in the NFL. Kind of.
Three months after his retirement papers went through, Brady signed a 10-year, $375 million deal with Fox Sports to join their NFL play-by-play team, but he was given a year before the deal officially started in 2024.
Now he’s back at the Super Bowl, because of course he is.
Eli Manning chose Ben Roethlisberger over Philip Rivers, Drew Brees, and Michael Vick, showing his respect for the Steelers legend.
Michael Vick, Philip Rivers, and Drew Brees all have one thing in common—former New York Giants QB Eli Manning would take former Pittsburgh Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger over every one of them.
Manning was asked which quarterback he would take when given two options, not knowing who would come next. He kicked off his first three selections by choosing Roethlisberger three straight times—over Rivers, Brees, and Vick—until finally selecting his brother Peyton Manning over the legendary Steelers QB.
Manning is one of the most accomplished Super Bowl-winning quarterbacks in recent history, defeating who many consider to be the G.O.A.T. of the National Football League, QB Tom Brady, in two separate head-to-head Super Bowl matchups—though Manning actually chose Brady to surpass his brother in the final selection of all-time quarterbacks.
Roethlisberger is no stranger to Super Bowl championships, winning two himself in Super Bowl XL and XLIII. In some ways, Eli and Big Ben are more alike than people realize—both favoring their two Super Bowl wins over personal accolades.
This might be a coincidence like it was when news broke that Gisele Bündchen was pregnant with her third child with boyfriend Joaquim Valente, but: did Tom Brady react on Instagram with a cryptic message after she gave birth?
On Thursday, with news that Bündchen had reportedly given birth, Brady posted this quote: “I really think the secret to being loved is to love. And the secret to being interesting is to be interested. And the secret to having others find beauty in you is to find beauty in others. And the secret to having a friend is being a friend.”
He captioned it “love this.” Could be nothing having to do with his ex giving birth, but people are wondering.
Tom Brady weighed in on the Patrick Mahomes-referee controversy
Much ado has been made about Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes getting special treatment in regard to calls made by NFL referees.
It all comes as the Chiefs are looking to win their third championship in a row against the Philadelphia Eagles at Super Bowl LIX on Sunday. A similar narrative was created about New England Patriots legend Tom Brady during the Patriots’ dynasty.
Nevertheless, the Patriots shut down the outside noise and won six Super Bowls over a 20-year span.
Brady is now in a position to take a step back and appreciate the present-day stars in the league, including Mahomes. He stuck up for Mahomes in a recent YouTube video.
“Pat’s the best quarterback in the NFL, he’s unbelievable,” Brady said, when commenting on the referee bias accusations aimed at Mahomes. “It doesn’t take away from his greatness at all. He’s just playing within the rules and how they’re calling them.”
For what it’s worth, Brady got the upper hand in head-to-head matchups against Mahomes. He owns a 2-0 postseason record over the 29-year-old quarterback.
However, he can empathize with Mahomes when it comes to accusations of special treatment.
When Fox Sports signed Tom Brady to a 10-year, $375 million contract to lead its NFL booth, it meant that the network was prepared to demote then-lead analyst Greg Olsen to a regional broadcast team.
Now, this wouldn’t have been a huge deal if Olsen had struggled in the booth, but the former tight end was a rising star as a broadcaster and arguably the best color commentator working right now.
Last week, Olsen spoke about that frustration of being demoted, and he acknowledged that his goal is to be back in a national booth somewhere. Those remarks were taken by some as a shot at Brady, but on Thursday, Olsen made the point to set the record straight.
Speaking to NFL Network from New Orleans, Olsen clarified that he has no personal animosity towards Brady and has gone out of his way to help Brady as much as he can in this new role.
Olsen said:
“I’ve talked to Tom regularly throughout the season. We’ve gotten to know each other really well. I have a ton of respect for him, which goes without saying, as a player. But I’ve really enjoyed getting to know him as a guy since he’s joined Fox. So, this whole narrative of I hate watching him call games and all that is not true. So, here I am, on national TV … setting the record: I have no personal (animosity). I like Tom. I want to see him. I’ve tried to help him. I answer questions to the best that I can help. But I want to see him do well.”
As Olsen explained, he can root for his own personal success without it being at the expense of Brady. While there isn’t an open job currently in a lead booth, Olsen will likely be a network’s first call when a vacancy does come about.
The league had limited Brady amid his stake in the Raiders.
Tom Brady’s massive 10-year, $375 million contract with Fox has faced plenty of scrutiny this past season. Not just because Brady is a novice broadcaster, but he also faced league-mandated restrictions amid his minority stake in the Raiders.
Well, Brady did receive some good news ahead of Super Bowl 2025 in New Orleans: He’ll be allowed to partake in some of the essential pre-broadcast preparations.
For much of this season, Brady had been barred from attending production meetings, team practices and team facilities. He also wasn’t allowed to criticize officials or the league — which limited his effectiveness as an analyst.
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Chiefs owner Clark Hunt said that Brady would be allowed to attend their production meetings and have the same access as his colleagues. Brady, though, still cannot attend Chiefs and Eagles practices. But hey, it’s undeniably important for Brady to attend a production meeting for Fox’s biggest production of the year. That’s something.
“When (Brady) was approved as an owner of the Raiders, there were a lot of discussions internally (among owners) and that ended up being the recommendation of the league office, that it didn’t make sense to have him in the production meetings,” Hunt said. “That’s where that rule came from. Since he’s doing the game this week, we have no issue with him being in our production meetings. He’ll have the access that any broadcaster would have.”
Goodell also told reporters on Monday that the league will revisit the restrictions it had placed on Brady this offseason.
The playmakers of the Bucs were recognized by CBS Sports when they took up the impossible task of building up an All-Super Bowl team.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have had more success than most in making Super Bowls and winning them. The team has made it to those Super Bowls on the shoulders of playmakers on both sides of the ball.
CBS Sports recognized the playmakers of the Bucs when they took up the impossible task of building up an All-Super Bowl team.
CBS Sports took up the task of making an all-time roster in the leadup to the game this coming Sunday. They laid out what it took to make the list in their piece, stating the following were their criteria for building the team:
Super Bowl MVPs weighed heavily
Multiple Super Bowl appearances are an advantage
Did their performance significantly contribute to the success of their team?
Was their performance critical to the outcome of the game(s)?
With those criteria set, three Bucs players made the cut from their two Super Bowl wins in franchise history.
The Bucs had two starters on offense in Tom Brady at quarterback and Rob Gronkowski at tight end. While they spent the majority of their Super Bowl careers in New England, their short run in Tampa Bay proved just as fruitful.
On defense, Pro Football Hall of Famer Derrick Brooks was selected as a backup inside linebacker. The starters were Jack Lambert and Ray Lewis, with whom no one could argue. But Brooks is a backup alongside Bears’ legend Mike Singletary.
Not bad company for three of the most impactful Bucs players in franchise history, especially in their two Super Bowl wins.
Tiki Barber feels the ongoing potshots at the New York Giants are played out and says Tom Brady would be “tone-deaf” if he kept it up.
During last Sunday’s broadcast of the NFC Championship Game between the Washington Commanders and Philadelphia Eagles, Tom Brady simply couldn’t resist poking fun at the New York Giants.
As former Giants running back Saquon Barkley went off, Brady felt it appropriate to rub salt in the wounds.
“Giant mistake letting him go,” Brady said to broadcast partner Kevin Burkhardt after Barkley scored his third touchdown in Philly’s 55-23 rout of Washington.
Barkley’s defection to Philadelphia has obviously been a sore spot for Giants co-owner John Mara and the team’s fans, but the commentary has become something of a broken record. And hearing it from Brady’s mouth just screams sour grapes.
Brady has never shied away from his disdain for the Giants after they cost him two Super Bowl titles, including a perfect season in 2007. Needless to say, more Giants digs are expected during the Super Bowl LIX broadcast.
But retired Giants running back Tiki Barber believes Brady should consider pumping the brakes this time around.
“None,” Barber said when asked how many times the Giants would be referenced during the game. “I think it’s been played out and if they are anything other than tone-deaf, they will get it.”
The entire NFL world continues to throw haymakers and take potshots at the Giants over Barkley, so there’s no reason to believe it will end now — especially with Brady and Burkhardt, an Eagles fan, calling the game.
But Barber is right. It’s been played out and hearing it from that duo would be tone-deaf.
@EdEastonJr spoke to Rob Gronkowski about his new Bounty commercial with Drew Brees and Reggie Bush, and the legendary chemistry he had with Tom Brady.
This week, Touchdown Wire’s Ed Easton Jr. spoke to four-time Super Bowl champion Rob Gronkowski.
In his interview with Easton Jr., Gronkowski discussed his partnership on behalf of Bounty, filming a commercial with New Orleans Saints Drew Brees and Reggie Bush. He also reflected on his long-time chemistry with legendary quarterback Tom Brady.
“Drew Brees is my wingman as well. I chose him because we’re going to New Orleans for the Super Bowl, and I need him to take me around the city to the best wing spots,” Gronkowski explained. “I also just shot a commercial with him, which was a pleasure. He was so great to work with. He and Reggie Bush, you know, they were teammates down in New Orleans as well, back about 10 years ago.
“They were so fun to work with, and it was so great, you know, and Reggie was such a great player. That was the first time I’ve ever met him. I also loved watching him play football, especially at USC. So he was like one of my heroes that I finally met, which was really cool. Passes with Bounty when we get to New Orleans as well. We’re ready to go. We’re strapped up. We’re gonna take on any challenge.”
As Gronkowski builds chemistry with Brees as his Bounty wingman, he shares the secret to his chemistry and success with legendary quarterback Tom Brady. The duo won multiple Super Bowls across two teams as members of the New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
“We both wanted it. We both wanted to be great,” Gronkowski said of his time with Brady. “We both wanted to win championships. And when you both want to win championships, you do whatever it takes. And we stayed after practice all the time to get on the same page. Just keep building our chemistry. That’s what we did, man; when you want to be great, and you find people who want to be great around you, you help elevate them. He helped elevate me. I helped elevate him. That led to greatness on the field, and the same was true for the entire Patriots organization: everyone was on the same page.”
Should the NFL rename the Super Bowl trophy the “Brady Trophy?” Bill Belichick thinks so.
Former New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick has never been one to take responsibility for winning Super Bowls, even though he’s the clear architect behind the greatest dynasty in NFL history.
When appearing on Sirius XM’s “Let’s Go!” podcast, the legendary coach talked about the importance of having good players on a team to win championships. There’s no winning without good football being played on the field, and that ultimately comes down to the players.
Brady, who many view as the greatest of all time, was one of those players to the point where Belichick suggested the Super Bowl trophy be renamed after him.
“Maybe they should name it the Brady trophy. He won seven of them,” said Belichick.
“They don’t name it the Starr Trophy. They name it the Lombardi Trophy.”
It’s a fair argument for a seven-time Super Bowl champion quarterback.
Brady dominated in multiple eras of football for over 20 years. He even won in this era by going a perfect 2-0 against Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs in the playoffs. If anyone is worthy of having a championship trophy named after them, it’s Tom Brady.
