Fox lost Joe Buck and Troy Aikman to ESPN this offseason, but they still managed to secure Erin Andrews and an even bigger price for their future: Tom Brady.
Brady signed a massive 10-year deal with the network to be on the booth after his retirement. And even though there's not an estimated date for that, people are already looking forward to it.
She Never Thought They'd Land Brady
The news about Brady pursuing a broadcasting career was shocking even for his circle. Not even his friend and now colleague Andrews thought they'd be able to convince him:
“I just wasn’t believing everything I was reading,” Andrews told Sports Illustrated's Jimmy Traina. “And I knew Fox was swinging for the fences and I just got that sense. I never for once thought it was Tom.”Brady's Being Brady About It
Brady, however, has kept tight lips about his feelings and preparation for the next step of his career. Per Andrews, all he knows is he's not ready to walk away just yet:
“Tom has been very, very, Tom-ish in it, PC,” Andrews said. “He’s just like ‘Listen, I’m excited, but not now’. And I appreciate that from him. He’s like, ‘I can’t worry about that right now,’ and he’s not,”He's Not Ready For The Booth
Brady also confirmed that he wouldn't make his booth debut this season even if the Bucs go home early in the playoffs. He wants to focus on the season and then, when the time is right, he'll put in that very same effort on his next endeavor:
"I want to focus on football," Brady told Variety. "I really want to commit to this year to be as best as I possibly can. I'm there to support- I'm there to inform. I have a great knowledge of the game. And I also have very high expectations of what players and coaches should do in the field. I'll have no problem being critical of things that I disagree with, and I'll have no problem praising things that are exceptional."Will This Be His Final Year?
He realizes he doesn't have a lot left in the tank, yet he wouldn't rule out coming back for another season:
"I would say it's year to year," Brady said."Could this be my last year? Absolutely. Could I change my mind? Absolutely. I've realized I don't have five years left. I want to do it my way. I want to give it everything I got and see where I'm at. My body feels really good. I've had a lot of traumatic injuries over the years, but if things go really smoothly and we win, that'd be great."So, we're sorry to tell the fans of every other team in the league that Brady's not going anywhere.
]]>The Inquisitr
