Troy Aikman talks if Tom Brady will call NFL games for Fox

Add current ESPN personality and former Fox Sports NFL analyst Troy Aikman to the list of noteworthy people who believe retired quarterback Tom Brady will eventually call league games for Fox. 

"The question is, is he gonna do it? I think he has every intention of doing it," Aikman said about the situation during the latest edition of the "Sports Illustrated Media with Jimmy Traina" podcast, as shared by Brandon Contes of Awful Announcing. "I think he’s watching this year and seeing what he can pick up. I’m sure at some point, if he hasn’t already, he’ll be in the trucks or be in the booths at some of the games, watching." 

It was learned in the spring of 2022 after Brady un-retired and returned to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers that he signed a 10-year deal reportedly worth $375M to become Fox's lead NFL analyst whenever he wanted. While it was reported this past summer that the re-retired Brady is using a so-called "gap year" away from football to prepare for his new career that he plans to start next season, many have publicly said they doubt he'll take on a full-time job with any network for a variety of reasons. 

As recently as this week, Brady suggested he's fully closed the door on a second un-retirement, but that doesn't necessarily mean he's anticipating having to travel for weekly broadcasting gigs when he certainly doesn't need the money. Aikman touched upon that aspect of the job during the podcast. 

"For him, that’s a decision that he has to ask himself with where he is in life, how much time does he not want to miss out on?" Aikman explained. 

The Athletic's Richard Deitsch noted back in February that people who had "been in production meetings with Brady on the TV side" think "he will do better at the job" than skeptics may expect. Aikman echoed that take during his chat with Traina.

"I think he’ll be great," Aikman said about Brady. "Tom’s one of those guys that has been great at everything he’s done, and he works hard at it, puts in the time, doesn’t take shortcuts." 

Interestingly, Aikman revealed he's spoken with Brady about becoming a broadcaster but wasn't able to confirm the seven-time Super Bowl champion will be a Fox employee next September. For what it's worth, Brady is a free agent who can sign with any team at any time considering he isn't yet a limited partner of the Las Vegas Raiders.