FOX won't comment on Tom Brady calling Super Bowl if Bucs aren't playing

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady. Matt Pendleton-USA TODAY Sports

FOX doesn't comment on Tom Brady calling Super Bowl LVII if Bucs aren't playing

By Zac Wassink | Last updated 5/10/22

It was learned earlier on Tuesday that Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady will eventually join Fox Sports as lead NFL analyst and will call games once he retires from playing, and a later report noted the 44-year-old signed a 10-year deal worth $375 million to make the transition to the broadcast booth.

With that type of money involved, logic suggests Fox would want Brady to begin his new job as quickly as possible. Per ESPN, however, Fox CEO Lachlan Murdoch said it's "entirely up to" Brady when he joins the network as an employee.

Brady is currently preparing to pursue an eighth career championship ring, but individuals such as Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio have pointed out that Super Bowl LVII will air on Fox in February 2023. Interestingly, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport didn't get an answer when he asked if Brady could be in the booth for the final Sunday of the upcoming season if the Buccaneers aren't playing:

From NFL Now: Tom Brady will be a broadcaster when he retires. But what if his team is out of the playoffs this year and he knows he's done... will he jump in the booth for FOX for LVII? A FOX spokesman declined comment. pic.twitter.com/TtjLmTMdho
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) May 10, 2022

Florio added Brady and Fox may have to come to a separate agreement if his deal doesn't officially start until he's with the company on a full-time basis. Money obviously isn't an issue regarding such discussions, though, considering how much Brady will be making when he finalizes his jump to Fox.

"The fact that you get the best ever to play the quarterback position, have an opportunity to listen to him talk about football -- a year from now, two years from now, three years from now -- is a great thing," Buccaneers offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich told reporters when discussing the news on Tuesday.

As of the second week of May, Brady is concentrating on playing in Super Bowl LVII, but Leftwich's words indicate the Buccaneers aren't sure of the quarterback's plans for beyond the 2022 campaign.

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