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Tiki Barber Sounds Off on Brady's Saquon Barkley Jokes

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Anthony Licciardi | Last updated Jan 29, 2025 8:10 PM ET

Tom Brady’s career at Fox has gotten off to an unsteady start. He was immediately placed on the A-team with play-by-play announcer Kevin Burkhardt, demoting fan-favorite Greg Olsen and setting the bar rather high for the greatest player in league history.

As it turns out, color commentator and NFL quarterback are different jobs with different skill sets, and the reviews haven’t been kind to Brady. Despite a commercial painting him as a broadcasting underdog he immediately became Fox’s most expensive announcer. He hasn’t necessarily performed like it. Hamstrung by the rules of also being a minority owner and still getting used to analyzing plays on the fly, Brady lags behind his peers.

He’s got to make up for those deficiencies, somewhere, and he seems to be trying the occasional joke to spice up the broadcast.

As Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley ran his way to the Super Bowl, dismantling the Washington Commanders 55-23, Brady was teed up for a response from Burkhardt and took full advantage to make fun of the New York Giants.

“Giants fans might have a tough time sleeping going forward,” Burkhardt began.

“Giant mistake letting him go,” Brady quipped.

New York has been reminded all season of how dominant Barkley is, and how foolish his free agency appears. Former Giants running back Tiki Barber sounded off on Brady’s Saquon Barkley jokes when asked how many he should expect to hear during the Super Bowl.

“None,” Barber said. “I think it’s been played out and if they are anything other than tone-deaf, they will get it.”

In fairness to Brady, there wasn’t a ton to talk about as the Eagles trampled their way to one of the largest blowout wins in playoff history. When they take on the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl 59, there will surely be more interesting storylines and less dead air for a rookie commentator to try and fill.

Barber isn’t alone in being tired of the noise sent New York’s way. It’s the result of a 3-14 season and an ugly offseason that preceded it, but there’s only so many times fans can hear about Barkley’s free agency or the fact that the Giants didn’t land a franchise quarterback in a historic class.

For as long as Barkley keeps streaking past defenses, the New York faithful will have to bear that burden. Hopefully, the Super Bowl provides enough content for the Giants to escape pain free, regardless of how well Barkley plays.

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

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