Tom Brady Calls Report He May Back Out Of $375M Fox NFL Contract 'Fake News'
May 5, 2023
Amid continued speculation that he might back out of his 10-year, $375 million broadcasting contract with Fox, Tom Brady is attempting to quiet the noise.
Responding to a post on Instagram that he's considering different options in retirement, Brady wrote "FakeNews."
The post references a report earlier this week from the New York Post's Andrew Marchand, who said people close to Brady are skeptical he will want to travel as much as the job requires and he can make money doing other things.
Marchand reported Brady's deal with Fox in May 2022 as he was preparing for the upcoming season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
After announcing his retirement from the NFL on Feb. 1, speculation began about when Brady would officially start working for Fox Sports.
"I want to be great at what I do," Brady told Colin Cowherd on Feb. 6 (h/t NFL.com's Eric Edholm). "I was talking even last week with the people at FOX Sports, and the leadership there allowing me to start my opportunity in the fall of 2024 is something that's great for me.
Taking an additional year off does allow Brady to potentially learn more about working as a television analyst, but it also gives him more time to consider his options if he doesn't want to commit to the job.
Not many people could leave a $375 million contract on the table, but Brady had an estimated net worth of $512 million when he retired from playing.
Brady's $37.5 million annual salary is more than double the next-highest salary among current NFL analysts. Tony Romo's deal with CBS Sports pays him $18 million per year when he signed a 10-year extension in 2020.
If Brady does join the Fox Sports' crew, the plan has been to pair him with Kevin Burkhardt as the No. 1 announce team for the best NFL game of the week.
After Joe Buck and Troy Aikman joined ESPN's Monday Night Football broadcast team after the 2021 season, Burkhardt and Greg Olsen took over as the No. 1 crew for Fox Sports last year.
According to Marchand, Olsen's annual salary would go from $10 million to $3 million by being dropped from the No. 1 to No. 2 announce team if Brady does fulfill his Fox deal.
Olsen's contract does come with an out that would allow him to leave if a No. 1 job with another network were to become available.
