Tom Brady May Wait Even Longer To Join FOX Sports: Report

NFC Wild Card Playoffs - Dallas Cowboys v Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Photo: Getty Images

Recently retired NFL quarterback Tom Brady reportedly may wait even longer to begin his FOX Sports broadcasting career, a source with knowledge of the situation told future colleague Colin Cowherd.

Cowherd, who was interviewing Brady on the Herd when the quarterback announced he wouldn't begin his new NFL analyst until the 2024 season, implied that the seven-time Super Bowl champion would be a perfect fit for the San Francisco 49ers after acknowledging his source's prediction.

"Somebody I trust outside of this building told me a couple weeks ago, they said, 'I don't think Tom Brady's going to be a broadcaster any time soon. I think he wants to play,'" Cowherd said during Tuesday's (March 7) episode of the Herd. "Brady set a couple of different records last year, attempts and completions, at 45-years old. So a lot of people limp to the end; [John] Elway didn’t, Roger Staubach didn't, Derek Jeter didn’t, Kobe Bryant scored 61 in his last game as a Laker.

“Brady can still sling it. He’s not as good as he was, but remember, the San Francisco offense is built. Are you smart? Can you deliver the ball accurately? Can we pay you a good salary but not break the bank if we want to keep these weapons? I think you've gotta buy into this.

"Remember when I asked Tom Brady, 'are you retired?' Showed this clip last week, kinda of a nebula, fuzzy, not concrete answer. He didn't stick the landing. And people that day, after the interview, said, 'ooh, I love the Brady interview, but he kinda gave you a fuzzy answer on the retirement thing.' I went back and watched it and thought, 'yeah it was kinda fuzzy.'"

Last month, ProFootballTalk's Mike Florio published an article similarly speculating on the possibility of Brady once again coming out of retirement to sign with the 49ers. Florio acknowledged that Brady said his recent retirement was "for good," but "sometimes says things he means, and eventually does something different."

"For example, he said years ago that he’ll retire when he sucks. He clearly doesn’t suck," Florio wrote via ProFootballTalk. "While he may not be at his peak abilities, he still has a combination of brain and brawn that allowed him to set a regular-season record for pass attempts and completions."

The 49ers currently face uncertainty at quarterback after former No. 3 overall pick Trey Lance missed the majority of the 2022 season due to a broken ankle, rookie Brock Purdy -- who, like Brady, was a late-round pick thrust into a starting role early in his career -- recently postponed a surgical UCL repair and the team's plan to move on from Brady's former New England Patriots backup Jimmy Garoppolo. Florio speculated that the pieces may finally be falling into place for the hometown Niners to bring in the San Mateo native should he come out of retirement.

"Brady wanted to sign with the 49ers in 2020," Florio wrote via ProFootballTalk. "The 49ers politely declined. Last year, after the Brian Flores lawsuit derailed Brady’s secret plan to join forces with Sean Payton in Miami, there may have been another effort to see if the time was right for Brady to play for the team for which he grew up rooting."

On Monday (March 6), NFL Network anchor Rich Eisen acknowledging rumors of Brady's potential return spreading during last week's NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis during Monday's (March 6) episode of the Rich Eisen show, which the retired quarterback denied the following day.

"Anyone who thinks I have time to come back to the NFL has never adopted a 2 month old kitten for their daughter," Brady tweeted on Tuesday (March 7).

Brady was set to become an unrestricted free agent prior to announcing his retirement earlier this month and could sign with any team if he were to return to playing. The seven-time Super Bowl champion reportedly filed a letter to the National Football League and NFL Players Association reconfirming his retirement decision, on February 10, sources with knowledge of the situation confirmed to ESPN's Adam Schefter at the time.

Brady announced he's "retiring for good" after 23 NFL seasons in a video shared on his official social media accounts on February 1. The 45-year-old had previously announced his retirement last offseason before announcing his decision to return several weeks later.

Brady is set to become FOX Sports' lead NFL analyst beginning after the conclusion of his playing career, but has publicly stated that he won't start until 2024, taking the next year to spend time with his family and prepare for the job. The San Mateo native is the NFL's all-time passing leader for yards and touchdowns, as well as quarterback wins, among numerous other records.


Sponsored Content

Sponsored Content