Seven-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady is preparing for life after professional football.
Now his future in the sport is coming into focus.
And Tom Brady was stunned when a Hall of Famer made this prediction about his football future.
Tom Brady prepares for a career in broadcasting
Former New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady teased in a podcast appearance earlier this year that he was ready to return to the NFL if a team called him.
But it appears his immediate future in professional football is in the broadcasting booth.
Brady signed a 10-year, $375 million contract with Fox Sports to become the lead analyst for the network during its NFL broadcasts in February 2023.
He delayed joining the broadcast booth until the 2024 season, which created speculation that he could have one more comeback to the NFL left in him.
But Brady made his debut for Fox when he joined the broadcast booth for the network’s coverage of the United Football League’s (UFL) championship game between the Birmingham Stallions and San Antonio Brahmas.
The seven-time Super Bowl champion is set to make his NFL broadcasting debut during a week one game between the Dallas Cowboys and the Cleveland Browns.
Brady was a success on the football field but that doesn’t always translate to the broadcast booth.
One NFL Hall of Famer thinks that the former quarterback could become a legendary broadcaster.
Tom Brady could become the next John Madden
Hall of Fame defensive end Howie Long became a studio analyst for the Fox NFL Sunday pregame show after his playing days.
He predicted greatness for Tom Brady’s broadcasting career during an appearance on his son Chris Long’s Green Light podcast.
“People are going to tune in for Tom,” Long said. “Generally you say the game is what draws people in, and I think that’s still true. Dallas-Philadelphia, people are going to tune in . . . but it’s like John Madden.”
Long thought that Brady would succeed at translating his football experience to broadcasting.
“You’re watching John Madden do a football game and he brings a different element,” Long explained. “Tom’s insight into situational football, into moments that he’s had during his career, challenges, things that you’re facing on the field in real time, he can reference. And I’m mesmerized by him.”
He said that he got to know Brady during a team-building trip for the Fox Sports NFL crew this offseason.
“He understands what it means to be a good teammate . . . as well as [how to be] someone who holds people accountable and all of that,” Long stated. “Tom is a smart guy, he’s a passionate guy. He talks a lot about the one thing that drives success the most is your willingness to work. And not everyone is willing to work. And I think Tom is going to work his rear end off at it.”
Long has been with Fox Sports since the network first began broadcasting NFL games during the 1994 season.
That’s a strong endorsement that Tom Brady could find success in the next phase of his career.
