Tom Brady has spent his entire life proving naysayers wrong and overcoming obstacles. The 199th overall pick in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft rewrote the quarterback record book and he’s widely known as the greatest quarterback of all time.
Now retired from the field and sitting in the Fox Sports lead analyst chair, Brady is chasing a different kind of greatness: to be the best TV commentator for NFL Sundays.
Brady accepted Fox‘s 10-year, $375 million offer for one reason: he wants to become one of the greatest analysts to ever call an NFL game. That ambition puts him on a path once walked by legends – men whose voices became as essential to the sport’s rise as quarterbacks, playbooks or Super Bowl dynasties. But if Brady wants a place on the sport’s broadcasting Mount Rushmore, he’s staring up at giants whose shadows still stretch across NFL history.
The Mount Rushmore of broadcasters
If broadcasting has a GOAT, it is John Madden. He became the most important commentator in NFL history. His energy, honesty, and unmatched ability to explain the game made him beloved by casual fans and hardcore diehards alike. Then came Pat Summerall, the voice of football.
Calm, resonant and understated, Summerall made every NFL broadcast feel monumental. His partnership with Madden is still widely considered the greatest duo in the history of sports television. A former NFL kicker turned broadcaster, Summerall called 16 Super Bowls and set the tone for what a big game should sound like.
And then there’s the early architects: Paul Christman and Al DeRogatis. Christman, a former NFL quarterback and champion, helped bring credibility to broadcasts when the sport was still finding its identity on TV. DeRogatis, a Giants defensive lineman turned NBC analyst, became known for technical explanations decades before that became standard.
Where Brady fits and what he wants
Brady is not stepping into broadcasting as a ceremonial post-career hobby. He’s aiming high – Mount Rushmore high. And he has the tools: unmatched preparation, one of football’s greatest minds, and competitive fire that remains unshakable even in retirement.
Fox sees him as the centerpiece of its NFL coverage for the next decade. Brady, in turn, sees an opportunity to build a new legacy, not to replicate Madden or Summerall, but to join them. The challenge? Turning greatness on the field into greatness in the booth is rare. For every star who made the leap effortlessly, dozens have struggled.
But for a man who built his career on impossible climbs, it would be dumb to bet against Tom Brady. He’s proven time and time again that he’s one of the most resilient and determined people in the world.
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