Tom Brady has promised to ‘cut it loose’ in the booth as an NFL analyst – and the legendary quarterback thinks people may view him differently in a year’s time.
Brady, who retired from football for a second time in February 2023, will finally begin calling games this fall after signing a reported 10-year, $375million deal with Fox Sports two years ago.
And while he’s not far removed from his playing career and surely has relationships with many active players, he’s vowed to give brutally honest criticism when it’s warranted.
‘I got you, don’t worry baby I’m on it,’ he said after NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero urged him to ‘cut it loose.’
‘Next year you might say, ‘Tom, tone it down man, you’re being a jerk man, let these guys grow and develop,” the quarterback continued.
Click here to resize this module
Earlier in his discussion with Pelissero and Mike Garafolo on ‘The Insiders,’ Brady was asked how he would navigate analyzing games when most players would never be able to reach the standards he set himself.
Pelissero mentioned how Peyton Manning often wears his emotions on his sleeve during ESPN’s ‘Manningcast’ when there is a case of bad game management.
‘I’d say that’s a point that I have to continue to develop and learn and understand,’ Brady responded. ‘Cause I do, a lot like Peyton, I have a very high expectation for how I think the game needs to be played and how it needs to be coached, how it needs to be officiated.
‘I wanna see the game grow, I wanna see the game succeed, I wanna see it better thane ever. How can I play a role in impacting that? I can give my own opinion, and if people wanna listen, great. If they don’t that’s okay. But I only have the best intentions for what I’m about to undertake and I love the group of teammates that I’m undertaking it with.
Earlier this week, Brady was celebrated by an A-list crowd as he returned to Foxborough to be inducted into the Patriots’ Hall of Fame.
His close friends and ex-teammates Rob Gronkowski and Julian Edelman were in attendance, while more Patriots legends like Ty Law, Devin McCourty, Willie McGinest, and Vince Wilfork sat at the same table.
The big night was also attended by the likes of Jon Bon Jovi, Bill Burr and even Jay-Z.
The Patriots typically wait five years from a player’s retirement to induct them into their Hall of Fame, but owner Robert Kraft waived that rule to honor Brady on ‘6/12’, with the latter number being his jersey number throughout his career.
Brady won six Super Bowls while in New England and is considered by many to be the greatest quarterback in NFL history.