"I wasn't being critical of Daniel Jones!" - Giants QB catches strays from Tom Brady as NFL legend discusses $375,000,000 debut
Tom Brady's broadcasting debut is right around the corner, with just about three weeks to go before we see the New England Patriots legend take his place in the booth. Brady has seemingly been diligently preparing for his first full-time job since hanging up his cleats. And with Fox forking out $375 million over 10 years for the privilege of having Brady call games, the seven-time Super Bowl champion is leaving no stone unturned in his quest to up his game.
Brady made an appearance at the Fanatics Fest on Friday alongside ESPN's Stephen A. Smith to discuss what he's been up to in the build-up to the 2024 NFL season. The discussion moved on to how critical he was willing to be about QBs live on television.
Brady said:
"If I was doing it myself. Let's say I threw a really bad interception. I'd walk to the sidelines and say 'You're the worst quarterback in the world. How can you possibily make that throw?'"
What came next was somewhat of a surprise and got the crowd going.
"But I don't want to be so critical. Because in some ways I don't necessarily know exactly what the problem was on that play if, let's say, Daniel Jones throws an interception," Brady added.
"I didn't say it like that! I wasn't even being critical of Daniel Jones! Maybe I was a little bit," Brady joked.
Everything we know about Tom Brady's broadcasting debut and 2024 season
The only game that we know for certain Brady will call in Week 1 is the Cowboys-Browns game, which, if we're being honest, is a hell of a debut in the broadcasting booth.
On his 'Lockerverse' podcast, Deshaun Watson had this to say about Brady calling the Week 1 game:
"That's dope as hell, super dope. The GOAT get to watch, you know. So [I] got no choice but to put on a show."
Beyond Week 1, it's anyone's guess which games Brady will be in the booth for. Week 2's Pats-Seahawks matchup could be a pretty good call for Fox to make considering it's in Foxboro. Week 4's Patriots-49ers game is another Brady could conceivably call, a matchup that would pit his former team against his hometown team.
Brady's Fox contract is not without its fair bit of controversy, though. Greg Olsen was demoted to the second string of the broadcasting team to accommodate Brady. Per The Athletic, Olsen's salary will also see a $7 million cut, which means he'll earn just $3 million this year.
Brady, on the other hand, will be the highest-earning broadcaster in 2024, surpassing Tony Romo's reported $16 million deal.