Saturday, August 15, 2026

NFL Continues to Loosen Tom Brady Restrictions

Brady will be able to remotely attend Fox’s production meetings with players and coaches this season, the league confirmed.

Tom Brady
Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

The NFL continues to loosen the Brady Rules. 

Tom Brady will be able to attend Fox’s production meetings with players and coaches this season—remotely—an NFL spokesman confirmed to Front Office Sports

Brady was largely barred from those meetings last season because of his other job as an owner of the Raiders, though the restrictions began to loosen near the end of the season.

Brady will still be barred from attending the meetings at team facilities, the league said.

The news of Brady being allowed into production meetings was first reported by The Athletic

Other restrictions remain in place as the quarterback turned Fox color analyst enters the second year in the booth. Brady signed a 10-year, $375 million contract with the network in 2022. 

“Tom continues to be prohibited from going to a team facility for practices or production meetings,” NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said in an email to Front Office Sports. “He may attend production meetings remotely but may not attend in person at the team facility or hotel. He may also conduct an interview off site with a player like he did last year a couple times, including for the Super Bowl. We evaluated the policy after his first year and believed it was fine for him to participate remotely in a production meeting.”

The restrictions are in place because of Brady’s role as a minority owner in the Raiders. He is part of a group that includes business partner Tom Wagner and former teammate Richard Seymour that bought 10% for $220 million; Brady has a 5% stake in the team. 

In addition to being barred from team facilities, Brady’s ownership stake means he can’t criticize teams or officials and is subject to the NFL’s gambling and tampering policies. 

A year ago, Brady’s situation raised eyebrows among league owners, who were skeptical of letting one of their peers into team facilities. 

I think a lot of owners around the league felt that was a potential conflict,” Chiefs owner Clark Hunt said in October 2024 when Brady’s stake was approved. “It’s hard to know whether it will be an actual conflict, but it can be a potential conflict or perceived conflict.”

Brady attended in-person production meetings ahead of the Eagles-Chiefs Super Bowl in February.

An exception was made when the network broadcasted the Super Bowl in February when the Eagles beat the Chiefs. NBC will air Super Bowl LX this season.

Brady and Kevin Burkhardt will call Giants-Commanders in Week 1 on Sept. 7 followed by a Super Bowl rematch in Week 2. 

Fox and the Raiders did not immediately respond to requests for comment. 

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