Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

NFL Legend Tom Brady Sends Message After Career Announcement

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Chris Phelps | Last updated Jan 7, 2026 6:44 PM ET

Tom Brady became arguably the greatest player the NFL has ever seen during his time with the New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The former Michigan quarterback set records for all-time passing yards, passing touchdowns and wins, while winning seven total Super Bowls (another record), six with the Patriots and one with the Bucs.

Following his playing career, Brady remained close to the NFL, signing a 10-year, $375 million deal with Fox Sports and beginning his broadcasting career in 2024. The legendary quarterback immediately joined Fox’s lead team, replacing former Carolina Panthers tight end Greg Olsen and working alongside Kevin Burkhardt and Erin Andrews.

Fox Sports broadcaster Tom Brady during the 2025 NFL season.Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

On Wednesday, Fox released its final viewership numbers for Brady’s second season with the network. The network averaged more than 19.6 million viewers per game, its best mark since 2015. Fox’s primetime package with the lead team, branded as “America’s Game of the Week,” averaged 25.3 million viewers per game, also the network’s highest figure since 2015.

Fox also noted that it carried four of the 10 most-watched games of the 2025 season, peaking at 47.7 million viewers for the Thanksgiving matchup between the Green Bay Packers and the Detroit Lions. However, Fox trailed CBS, which averaged 21.25 million viewers per game. The top average belonged to NBC’s “Sunday Night Football,” which drew 23.5 million viewers per broadcast.

Fox’s pregame shows also posted solid numbers, with “Fox NFL Sunday” averaging 4.4 million viewers and “Fox NFL Kickoff” averaging 1.3 million. And Brady was left impressed by the final viewership data from the 2025 regular season and shared Fox’s post on his Instagram Story.

"Love this TEAM ❤️❤️❤️," Brady wrote.

Tom Brady reacts to Fox Sports' final regular-season viewership numbers. pic.twitter.com/Ret7KMfh8B
— Sports N Stuff (@SportsNStuffx) January 7, 2026

Brady and the lead Fox team will be back in action in the Wild Card round, calling the matchup between No. 3 seed Philadelphia Eagles and No. 6 seed San Francisco 49ers on Sunday at 4:30 p.m. ET.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: