Tom Brady Debuts In The NFL Broadcast Booth On Fox Sports

NFL great and Fox broadcaster Tom Brady chats with former San Francisco 49er Frank Gore before ... [+] Niners play New Orleans Saints during NFL preseason game at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., on Sunday, August 18, 2024. (Photo by Scott Strazzante/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)

“He’s Tom Brady, and I’m Kevin Burkhardt, and you’re a broadcaster, how about that?” So began 7-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady’s debut on Fox Sports Sunday, a $375 million return to football Fox had promoted—heavily—as Brady going “back to work.”

“It’s been quite a journey,” Brady, microphone in hand and huge smile on his face, said to Burkhardt, “but I love being your partner.” The two then dived into commentary about the matchup between the Dallas Cowboys and Cleveland Browns as viewers took to social media to comment on the former quarterback’s first day in the new job.

“Tom Brady hasn’t looked this uncomfortable since facing the Giants in the Super Bowl,” joked The Athletic’s Jake Ciely in a post on X, where Brady’s debut generated an unsurprising flurry of jokes and criticism as Brady tried to thread the needle of sharing what he knows about the game while also making it clear and understandable to viewers who’ve never played in the NFL.

In a moment that captured the awkwardness for Brady in shifting from effortless brilliance on the field to still-learning-the-ropes of live television, Brady attempted a fist bump with Fox Sports rules analyst Mike Pereira, who at first seemed unaware—or uninterested—in Brady’s presence in the broadcast booth:

It’s never easy to make your first appearance in a new job, especially when you’re someone as mega-famous as Brady, and the new gig involves not just providing insight and analysis on a live game, but doing so while also attempting to appear natural and completely comfortable on camera.

But Brady had barely gotten out of the gate when critics started piling on, with one viewer saying the NFL great was “absolutely atrocious in the booth,” while another said “maybe someone should have listened to Tom Brady actually say words before dropping $300 million on him.”

SANTA CLARA, CA - AUGUST 18: Fox on-air host and former NFL quarterback Tom Brady interacts with ... [+] running back Christian McCaffrey #23 of the San Francisco 49ers prior to an NFL preseason football game between the New Orleans Saints and the San Francisco 49ers at Levi's Stadium on August 18, 2024 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Brooke Sutton/Getty Images)

Some critics seemed to think Brady doesn’t have a classic broadcaster’s voice, while others knocked him for his analysis. “Tom Brady can’t seem... to form any... sentences that have any sort of normal... cadence to them,” posted one viewer on X.

Another armchair quarterback summed up Brady’s debut—before halftime—like this: “I don’t want to overreact to week 1, but Tom Brady is the worst announcer in the NFL.”

Others were willing to give Brady a chance, including NFL Network reporter Jane Slater, who said “I like Tom Brady in the booth. It’s smart. He’s not pressing and screaming w faux excitement. Lets Kevin talk, then steps in. Easy, intelligent call. Just my two cents.”

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