Tom Brady’s long-awaited debut as an NFL broadcaster is finally in the books.
The Cowboys blew out the Browns 33-17 Sunday afternoon in Cleveland, as Brady called his first game in Fox’s No.1 booth alongside play-by-play announcer Kevin Burkhardt.
While the seven-time Super Bowl champion didn’t make any jaw-dropping missteps calling the action, he also didn’t exactly have a Tony Romo-esque premiere performance. Front Office Sports media expert Michael McCarthy believes Brady has plenty of room to grow; you can read his full review here.
One highlight for Brady came in the first half when Fox returned from a commercial break and Brady broke down how disruptive Browns defensive end Myles Garrett can be, just before the pass rusher forced a Dak Prescott fumble on the very next play.
“It’s been quite a journey,” Brady said at the beginning of the game as Burkhardt welcomed him to the team. Next week, Fox will once again assign Brady to a Cowboys game for his second bite at the apple, with the network’s No. 1 team heading to Dallas in Week 2 for the Cowboys’ home opener against the Saints.
Meanwhile, in the 1 p.m. ET game window Sunday, Greg Olsen—the man Brady replaced in Fox’s top NFL booth—made his debut with new partner Joe Davis on the network’s No. 2 team
Raiders Stake
Before Brady made his TV debut, NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport reported Sunday morning that the Fox broadcaster’s bid to become a minority owner of the Raiders “is on its way to approval.” A formal vote could be taken at owners’ meetings in October or December, but the “expectation is that Brady’s approval is final by the time the 2024 season concludes,” according to Rapoport.
The NFL has imposed severe restrictions on Brady as a broadcaster due to his Raiders ownership interest. He is not allowed to attend production meetings with players or coaches, or watch practices—both of which are commonplace for other NFL game analysts and play-by-play announcers.
