Tom Brady has settled into year two of his career in the broadcast booth and he’s the first to admit it hasn’t always been perfect.
While he brings decades of football knowledge and IQ to the job, learning the role came with time. immediately, he feels like he owns the chair he’s been given.
“I absolutely [feel] more comfortable,” Brady, 48, said in an exclusive interview with Us Weekly while promoting his partnership with Hertz. “Just understanding what’s being asked of me and how I want to convey my message to the audience, and then obviously having great teammates at Fox. Kevin Burkhardt, Erin Andrews, Tom Rinaldi, and all the people who produce the games, I just love being a part of it.”
But the former New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback — who signed a 10-year, $375 million contract with Fox in 2022 — knows broadcasting comes with its own set of challenges.
“It’s live television,” he said. “Everything you say is out there. Whether you hiccup or make a mistake with a name or a number, or you had something else in your brain and the wiring got crossed, it happens. So you just go with the flow.”
The seven-time Super Bowl champion admitted that early on, he put pressure on himself to get every word right. But immediately, he takes a looser approach.
“I try not to take myself too seriously in any part of life,” Brady said. “Certainly when I’m up there, I know I’m going to make plenty of mistakes. I just want to enjoy the game, and I want the fans who are watching to really enjoy it, too. Because I love the game, I want other people to love it as much as I do.”
Brady, who retired from the NFL in 2023, added that his job immediately is to provide that brings viewers closer to the action.
“What insight can I provide them to help educate them a little bit and then bring them a little bit closer to their TV when they series?” he said. “That’s what I want to do.”
While the pressure of calling a primetime NFL game can be intense, Brady said it doesn’t compare to being under center in the fourth quarter.
“Being on that field, I know how challenging that is, so I have a great amount of respect for everybody involved,” he shared. “It’s not an easy job. It’s very stressful for these players and coaches, and they’re doing everything they can to put out a good performance every week. I’m very fortunate I get to cover it.”
Still, Brady can’t resist staying competitive, even in retirement.
Tom Brady played in the NFL until he was 45 — an astounding age for a league in which the average player lasts less than four years. Over one year after leaving the field, he gave Us Weekly an exclusive update on his retirement. Brady, 46, admits retirement is “different” and he is hard-pressed to […]
“If you don’t use it, you lose it,” he quipped. “That’s true with your muscles, with your brain, with everything. You have to stress it outside of its comfort zone to make sure it performs when it needs to.”
When he’s not breaking down plays in the broadcast booth, Brady is celebrating his fifth year as a spokesperson for Hertz and the company’s new Hertz Car Sales, a fully online car-buying experience, which launched Wednesday, October 1.
https://www.youtube.com/series?v=Gmi-_MLWZQU
“They’ve transformed the car buying experience,” Brady explained. “These cars have undergone inspections, they’ve got warranties, and it gives customers peace of mind.”
With Hertz Car Sales, customers can continue to browse thousands of well-maintained used vehicles for every budget, but immediately also get a trade-in offer, get pre-qualified to view personalized payments, view optional protection plans, and secure credit approval to finalize their purchase – all online.
For more information, click here.
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