We now know when and where Tom Brady’s career in the announcer’s booth will begin.
The seven-time Super Bowl champion’s first game as a color commentator for Fox Sports' coverage of the NFL will kick off during the league’s opening weekend when the Cleveland Browns host the Dallas Cowboys on Sept. 8. The announcement was made by Brady and “Fox NFL Sunday” pregame analyst Michael Strahan during Fox’s media upfront presentation in New York City on May 13.
“For the first time in five years, the NFL on Fox opens with the Dallas Cowboys. Yeah, it’s going to be your first game,” Strahan said.
The game will air at 4:25 ET on Fox and the Fox Sports app. Play-by-play announcer Kevin Burkhardt will serve as Brady's partner.
Brady officially retired in 2023, having previously signed a reported 10-year, $375 million contract with Fox to serve as an announcer. He is excited to start his new job.
“Amazing. Obviously, having the Cowboys on is a huge draw. As 'America’s Team,' that’s going to get a little hard for me to say that all the time. Understand they were the competition for a long time,” he said.
“But in this new role, I know the Cowboys, how important that they are to this network. They got great storylines. Come on, Dak Prescott, let’s see if he can finally come through. One of the great defensive players,” he continued, while joking about the quarterback.
“Did that just slip out?”
The three-time NFL MVP then got back on the straight and narrow while pumping up the Cowboys.
“Micah Parsons, what a great player he is. And coach (Mike) McCarthy,” he said. “So, I love covering them. I’ve been, obviously, going against them for a long time, and now I get to tell everyone how great they are.”
Brady remains one of the most high-profile athletes — active or retired — in the country. He has said he thinks his work on the field will translate to success in the booth.
“I know that I’m coming in as kind of a rookie to this, but I know I’m going to work extremely hard, like I always do,” he told TODAY in 2022. “I still think there’s a lot of things that I’ve learned over my professional career that will carry over to a different career.”
The 2024 NFL schedule will officially be unveiled May 15. TODAY exclusively revealed May 13 that the Baltimore Ravens will visit the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs in the season’s first game.