• Loading stock data...
Sunday, July 6, 2025

Will Drew Brees Get a Second Chance on TV?

The future Pro Football Hall of Famer has told Front Office Sports he wants another crack at the broadcast booth. Don’t be surprised if he gets it.

Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images

Failed sports TV analysts rarely get second chances. Just ask Jason Witten, who’s been in a veritable TV Witness Protection program since his disastrous single season on ESPN’s Monday Night Football in 2018.

But Drew Brees has overcome doubters before. The former Saints quarterback flopped in his sole season as an NBC Sports analyst in 2021 covering the NFL and Notre Dame. But ESPN raised eyebrows by having Brees appear as a guest analyst on Monday Night Countdown before the Dolphins’ 23–15 win over the Rams on Monday. The Super Bowl champion looked comfortable as he chatted with Scott Van Pelt & Co. 

Brees (who has thrown the second-most touchdown passes in NFL history, behind only Tom Brady) wasn’t shy, stating that Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford has the second-best arm in the league behind Patrick Mahomes of the Chiefs. “His arm talent isn’t going anywhere,” said Brees.

I checked with my sources at ESPN about the Super Bowl winner. No, Brees isn’t being hired full-time by ESPN. No, Monday night was not an audition for a bigger role. 

But never say never, they cautioned. Some NBC executives saw the 45-year-old Brees as a potential successor to Cris Collinsworth as the network’s lead NFL analyst on Sunday Night Football. After mangling his call of a Bengals vs. Raiders playoff game, it will be a long time before anybody sees Brees as capable of calling another playoff game, much less a Super Bowl.

But the future Pro Football Hall of Famer told Front Office Sports Today back in September he wants another crack at the broadcast booth. Don’t be surprised if he gets it.

“I think I could be the absolute best at it, if given the opportunity. I valued my time at NBC so much, for that year after I played, I spent most of that time in-studio on Sunday Night Football, having to work with some incredible people. … But I didn’t really get the chance to broadcast NFL games,” Brees told my colleague Owen Poindexter in an interview before the start of the 2024 NFL season. “And that’s what I feel like I’m most qualified to do. That’s what I feel like I’m most passionate about. And certainly where my knowledge base lies, right? Telling the story of the game, getting you inside the huddle, getting you inside the quarterback’s head, letting you know how we’re attacking this defense. … That to me is something I’d love to do down the road when the time is right.”

Given the frequent turnover of NFL TV talent, I could see Brees getting another shot. ESPN is always adding and subtracting big names. But I think Brees would be better off joining CBS or Fox as a No. 2 or No. 3 game analyst, and learning his new craft, before reaching for a No. 1 job.

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

American Celebs Want to Be Sports Owners. Soccer Is Where They Start

As U.S. team prices climb, investors set their sights abroad.
Jul 2, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers two-way player Shohei Ohtani (17) heads to the dugout prior to the first inning against the Chicago White Sox at Dodger Stadium.

MLB Changes Are ‘Showing Great Results’: Former CFO

Big stars playing in major markets “make a real difference.”
Bill Ackman
exclusive

Billionaire Bill Ackman Prepares for ‘Once in a Lifetime’ Tennis Match in..

Ackman says he’s “peaking next week” at the Hall of Fame Open.

3,000 Hot Dogs, $20K in Prizes: Behind the Nathan’s Eating Contest

Nathan’s serves up thousands of hot dogs and $20,000 in prize money.

Featured Today

Baseball’s Celebrity Row: Behind MLB’s First-Pitch Ritual

Often planned, sometimes spontaneous, the ritual throw is baseball’s celebrity row.
July 3, 2025

Geoffrey Esper Can’t Catch a Break at Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest

“Hot dogs is not one of my favorite competitions of the year.”
June 29, 2025

The Battle Over Wimbledon’s Ambitious Expansion Plan

A classic NIMBY standoff on one of the most hallowed grounds in sports.
Seattle Rough & Tumble
June 28, 2025

Women’s Sports Bars Are on the Rise. Survival Isn’t Guaranteed

Some women’s sports bars are cashing in. Others are clawing for funding.
exclusive

ESPN’s Jeremy Schaap Strives to Discover Joey Chestnut’s Secret

Schaap calls his second Hot Dog Eating Contest July 4.
exclusive
July 1, 2025

ESPN, Fox Reluctant to Share Talent With Netflix for Christmas NFL Games

ESPN talents who worked last year’s games include Laura Rutledge and Mina Kimes.
opinion
July 3, 2025

Caitlin Clark’s Media Supporters Pushing Harder Against Slights

Dick Vitale, Colin Cowherd, and others are accusing other WNBA players of jealousy.
Sponsored

Hottest Matchups Following NFL Schedule Release

The NFL released the 2025 regular-season schedule, and anticipation is already building in the ticket marketplace with four months to go.
June 30, 2025

ESPN, MLB Relationship May Not Be Over After All

The parties restart rights talks amid a high-profile divorce in February.
Jun 10, 2025; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) drops back to pass during minicamp at their South Side facility.
opinion
June 30, 2025

Steelers Win-Now Mode Is Good News for NFL Media Partners

The conservative “Steeler Way” has finally adapted—and media partners are happy.
exclusive
June 27, 2025

TNT Will No Longer Operate NBA TV, NBA.com, Signaling Another Shift

TNT had operated NBA TV and NBA.com since 2008.
June 26, 2025

NBA Draft Ratings Fall 14.5% Despite Early Cooper Flagg Lift

3.77 million viewers watched across ESPN and ABC.