NFL rumors: Tom Brady already trying to quit new job before starting it

According to Andrew Marchand of the New York Post, retired NFL quarterback Tom Brady is leaning towards backing out of his contract with FOX.

Tom Brady gave retirement a try for about a month last offseason before committing to return to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. But after going 8-9 on the year and getting eliminated in the Wild Card Round by the Dallas Cowboys, Brady announced he was retiring “for good” this time around.

With that, a new job would be awaiting for him. Is he actually going to go through with it?

Andrew Marchand of the New York Post said that he feels there is a “49-percent chance” that he will actually go through with his FOX commentary job. This is the very gig for which he signed a 10-year, $375 million contract.

“I’ve talked to a couple of people recently close to Brady and I kind of feel like I’m going more 49 percent chance he does it, 51 percent chance he doesn’t. I don’t think he wants to travel that much,” said Marchand, h/t Bleacher Report. “… I think Brady’s a guy who if he’s in, he’s all in. So he’s not going to be showing up day of games like Joe Buck and [Troy] Aikman do sometimes. He’s going to be there early if he’s going to do it, so it’s a four-day event. … He shares his kids with Gisele [Bundchen]. I think that’s very important to him, and he can make money elsewhere.”

NFL rumors: ’49 percent chance’ Tom Brady will call games for FOX

Following his second retirement, fans wondered when they would see Brady in the FOX broadcast booth on Sundays. Well, the quarterback revealed this past February to FOX Sports’ Colin Cowherd that he would be taking the 2023 season off and will get ready for 2024. Brady said he wanted to make sure that he was “great” at his new job.

“I want to be great at what I do,” said Brady, h/t NFL.com. “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.

“So, (I’ll) take some time to really learn, become great at what I want to do, become great at thinking about the opportunity and make sure I don’t rush into anything.”

Brady’s entrance into the FOX broadcast booth did create some uncertainty. Former Chicago Bears and Carolina Panthers tight end Greg Olsen was part of the top commentary team alongside Kevin Burkhardt, and he received praise for his transition into broadcasting. But once Brady did enter, Olsen would be demoted to the “B team” on the network. Olsen’s contract runs out in 2026.

With this latest news, the NFL world will be waiting to see if Brady will go through with his commentary career, or if he is going to try to get out of the contract. Much like with the past two years, fans are going to be following his status to see what he will do.