While Tom Brady’s first 3 games as an NFL color commentator for FOX Sports haven’t represented the smoothest of transitions to the broadcast booth, he’ll get the benefit of a much friendlier atmosphere in Week 4 when he and play-by-play analyst Kevin Burkhardt cover the Tampa Bay Buccaneers against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sept. 29.
Brady played the final 3 seasons of his 23-year career with the Buccaneers, where he led the franchise to a Super Bowl victory in his first season in 2020. It will be Brady’s first time covering one of his former teams — Brady won the first 6 of his 7 Super Bowls with the New England Patriots.
Brady signed a 10-year, $375 million contract with FOX Sports in 2023 but delayed his entry into the broadcast booth for 1 year after signing the deal.
Pro Football Talk’s Charean Williams was the first to report the news of Brady’s return to Raymond James Stadium.
Mayfield’s Odd Comments About Brady
One of the more interesting subplots for Brady’s return to Tampa will be if he addresses the comments made by current Tampa Bay quarterback Baker Mayfield in which he criticized Brady’s time with the Buccaneers.
“The building was a little bit different with Tom in there,” Mayfield said on the Casa de Klub podcast on Sept. 17. “Obviously, playing-wise, Tom is different. He had everybody dialed in, high-strung environment, so I think everybody was pretty stressed out.”
“… You hear some of the stories about if he didn’t like a certain play call and he didn’t like it throughout the week and they still call it in the game, there might have been a throwaway on purpose or throwing it at the running back or receiver’s feet. There were a lot of mind games going on.”
Brady led the NFL in passing yards in 2021 and led the NFL in completions and pass attempts in 2021 and 2022. He set NFL records for completions (493) and pass attempts (733) in 2022.
Along with his new venture into the broadcast booth, Brady is also in the midst of purchasing a minority stake in the Las Vegas Raiders. He is already a minority owner in the WNBA’s Las Vegas Aces and English soccer club Birmingham City.
“Because of his pending purchase of a piece of the Raiders, Brady is restricted by the league from production meetings and practices,” Williams wrote. “So, it prevents what could have been an awkward meeting with Bucs quarterback Baker Mayfield, who replaced Brady. But everyone will be listening closely for Brady’s analysis of Mayfield during Sunday’s game.”
Mayfield Turned Interim Role Into $100 Million
Tampa Bay signed Mayfield to a 1-year, $3 million contract in March 2023 following Brady’s second retirement in as many seasons. Mayfield, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 NFL draft, beat out Kyle Trask for the starting job and went on to have a career year, making his first Pro Bowl and leading the Buccaneers to a third consecutive NFC South Division title.
Following the season, Mayfield signed a 3-year, $100 million contract with the Buccaneers in March 2024.
Through the first 3 games of the 2024 regular season, Mayfield is tied for third in the NFL with 6 touchdown passes but has also been sacked 13 times, including 7 in a Week 3 loss to the Denver Broncos.
Both the Eagles and Buccaneers are 2-1 headed into Week 4.
