Tom Brady will be seen on football fans' television screens for at least another decade. According to multiple reports, the 44-year-old legendary quarterback has agreed to join Fox Sports as its top NFL analyst once he officially ends his playing career. Brady's contract with the network will also be record-breaking, as he's reportedly signed a mammoth $375 million deal across 10 years.
Brady tweeted that he's excited about the gig, but also noted that he still has "unfinished business" with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Back in March, he put an end to his pseudo-retirement after 40 days, announcing that he'd changed his mind about calling it quits and will return to the franchise for a 23rd season in the league. Fox CEO Lachlan Murdoch tweeted about the news on Monday, and said it's "entirely up" to Brady when he decides to begin broadcast work.
"It's a really interesting play by Fox, that they're going to wait for him to retire. I'd just said to someone not yesterday, but the day before, it's very weird they haven't named a replacement for Aikman, and Burkhardt's partner as the No. 1 analyst," SI.com podcast host Jimmy Traina told the Maggie and Perloff show on Tuesday. "My initial reaction was more about Fox, then I realized I'd written and said Fox should hire Brady a million times. I went into celebration mode.
"I think I even said it on that day I co-hosted with Perloff -- because he hadn't ended his fake retirement at the time. I just thought all along that if he retired, he'd be doing this... Listen, if the Bucs aren't in the Super Bowl, I 100-percent think Fox would use him in some way, shape, or form. I don't think he's going to call the game. It'd be unfair for his first game called to be the Super Bowl... But I'd be stunned if he isn't part of the telecast in some way."
Brady had walked away while at the top of his game. He's won a staggering seven Super Bowls, the most championships for a single player, along with five Super Bowl MVP awards. Last season, Brady led all NFL quarterbacks in touchdowns (43) and passing yards (5,316), and helped the Bucs reach the NFC divisional round. Among the league's all-time ranks, Brady ranks first in touchdowns (624), yards (84,250), and Super Bowl appearances (10).
The entire sports media conversation between Traina and Maggie and Perloff can be accessed in the audio player above.
You can follow the Maggie and Perloff Show on Twitter @MaggieandPerl and Tom Hanslin @TomHanslin.