Tom Brady addressed his involvement in the Raiders head coaching search and his own future at Fox Sports in the first few minutes of the Commanders-Lions NFC divisional playoff game Saturday night.
Brady’s dueling roles as a minority owner of the Raiders and the lead analyst for Fox’s No. 1 NFL broadcast team have been under the spotlight ever since he was officially approved as a part owner in October, but the scrutiny returned in earnest this week because of his involvement in the Raiders head coaching search.
Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn both interviewed virtually for the Las Vegas job, and spoke to Brady as part of the process. While Brady isn’t allowed to attend TV production meetings due to his Raiders role, the odd nature of a team co-owner broadcasting a game that features two coaches he is considering hiring posed many questions.
Fox practically had no choice but to address it. After a commercial break, play-by-play announcer Kevin Burkhardt teed Brady up to explain. Here was their exchange:
Burkhardt: “For those who may not know, Tom, you picked up a little side hustle a couple months ago, just buying a minority share of the Raiders. So, you know, just normal type stuff. But with that, the cool thing is you get to be on these interviews in this head coaching search. And obviously, we told you Glenn and Ben Johnson has done that. How have you evaluated them?”
Brady: “Oh, it’s just been a great learning experience. But you realize the league’s full of great potential, and what I believe is the resumes, the accolades, they’re all earned by what people do on the field. You earn your opportunities, and you do your performance and let that do the talking—as it should be, and as I did when I was a player.”
Burkhardt: “But I will say, while you’ve got that going on, you’re stuck with me here at Fox for the next 10 years, whether you like it or not.”
Brady: “Happily. I’d bite some kneecaps for you, K.B., whatever you need me to do, baby. You’re a great teammate.”
There are two points of interest here for Fox, the Raiders, and NFL viewers.
First, when Burkhardt said, “you get to be on these interviews,” that doesn’t quite tell the full story. Raiders owner Mark Davis previously said Brady would have a “huge” say in the team’s future. In keeping with that promise, Brady has reportedly been very involved in the interview process—far more than just “on these interviews”—and is believed to be courting Johnson as his primary target.
Second, Burkhardt and Brady are very obviously aware of the widespread media predictions that Brady won’t finish out his 10-year, $375 million contract with Fox, hence Burkhardt’s “stuck with me” comment.
By reiterating that he’s stuck there “happily,” Brady reinforced what his agent Don Yee said earlier this week, telling Sports Business Journal that Brady has no plans to leave Fox. “Tom has had a tremendous amount of fun working with Fox this year, and he’s really excited about the future with Fox and his growth on their team,” Yee said. “And this year was the first year of a long relationship.”
Of course, that’s unlikely to quiet anyone who is convinced Brady won’t continue—a list that includes Dan Patrick. (And for anybody wondering, Brady’s unusual “bite some kneecaps” line was a reference to Lions coach Dan Campbell’s famous introductory press conference in 2021.)
Brady is set to call the NFC Championship for Fox next Sunday, and then Super Bowl LIX on Fox on Feb. 9.
