Tom Brady Looks Forward To Stepping Outside Of ‘Comfort Zone’ As Analyst

It's been two years since Tom Brady signed a lucrative FOX deal to be a broadcast analyst, and the 2024 season could be when the former New England Patriots quarterback debuts in the booth.

FOX reportedly paid Brady $375 million in a 10-year deal to be its lead color commentator, which likely will take Greg Olsen away from Kevin Burkhardt on the top NFL broadcast team for the network.

The 46-year-old was expected to debut this season, but that was pushed to next season. It's unclear if his potential role in Las Vegas Raiders ownership will be a deterrent to his broadcasting career, but the seven-time Super Bowl champion sounded excited to step into the next phase of his career.

"I've got a big broadcasting job that's going to start in September," Brady said on his "Let's Go" podcast this week, per Awful Announcing. "I'm already working hard on trying to make sure I'm ready for that opportunity and I'm prepared mentally and emotionally for that challenge. Because it is a challenge. It's something that’s new, it's outside of my comfort zone. And I'm excited to get out there and try something and see how I do.

"But it's got to be about what my preparation is and what my work ethic is. And hopefully a lot of the things that I've done in my career have prepared me for that. And there's an exciting part about that for me, which when I get out of bed in the morning, man, I'm ready to go. And I wanna create a to-do list. And, OK, these are the things I'm gonna do today and this is how I ultimately want to actualize my potential in this area of my life."

There's little reason to deny Brady will work hard to make sure he knows what to expect, but the question will be how guarded he'll be during the broadcast. His criticism over the lack of physicality in the game and the rules creating a "mediocre" product do signal Brady might not hold back as a broadcaster.

However, it's still up in the air if Brady will differentiate his podcast persona from his more public role as a broadcaster, similar to how Stephen A. Smith plays different roles on ESPN's "First Take" compared to his personal podcast.

Time will tell if Brady can be just as successful as a broadcaster as he was as a player, and all eyes will be on what his debut game will be.