NFL legend Phil Simms has doubts over Tom Brady's broadcasting career - "Is it worth it for him?"
Tom Brady has not even begun his new role as an analyst yet, and he already has a doubter.
Since retiring fron the NFL "for good," Brady has been preparing for his upcoming analyst job with FOX. But even though he does not make his debut until 2024, Phil Simms already thinks Brady is not fit for the role.
In an interview with Front Office Sports, Simms said calling games was beneath the seven-time Super Bowl winner:
"I’ve got to see it – or hear it – to believe it. I don’t know. I just can’t picture Tom Brady up there announcing games. You know why? He’s Tom Brady. He’s just bigger than life… In this day and age, is it worth it for him?"
He also believes FOX can use Brady in more meaningful ways than just putting him inside a booth:
"Hey, I think they’ll use him in different ways. I don’t care. I’m going to say he doesn’t do games. They’ll put him on a pregame show and let him talk a little. There’s lots of ways to use him. He’s Tom Brady…
"I don’t have any insight – and I don’t even care. But I’ll be surprised if he does games. I will be."
Simms would also rather see Fox retain Greg Olsen than move him aside for Brady:
"And you know, too, Greg Olsen did a good job this year. That has to make you sit back and wonder. So we’ll see."
CBS Sports analyst Phil Simms Opens Up To @FOS About His New QB Podcast With Son Matt Simms, Covering The NFL Draft For @LetsHangLive and If He Thinks Tom Brady will Ever Call Games For Fox Sports.
frontofficesports.com/phil-simms-sou… via @FOS
A look at Phil Simms' career in media
Ever since he retired from playing in 1994, Phil Simms has been an active participant in the NFL media industry.
He initially worked for ESPN, then moved to NBC, calling Super Bowls XXX and XXXII with Dick Enberg and Paul Maguire.
In 1998, Simms joined CBS and served as its lead analyst for 19 seasons, calling six Super Bowls. He was replaced in the role for 2017 by freshly-retired Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo, but stayed with the network as a co-host of the pregame show "The NFL Today."
Next week, Simms and his son Matt, himself a former NFL quarterback, will launch "Simms Complete," a YouTube show/podcast.
When will Tom Brady start calling games for FOX?
Even though Brady is now retired from playing NFL games, he is not calling them for FOX next season. Rather, he is entering the booth in 2024, as he revealed to Colin Cowherd.
.@TomBrady tells @ColinCowherd on @FS1 that he will start his broadcast career with FOX in the Fall of 2024. https://t.co/rckDnIVeQO
When asked why he would be starting in 2024, Brady said:
“[I’m] going to take some time to really learn, become great at what I want to do… making sure I don’t rush into anything.”
Brady's contract with FOX, which was announced in May last year, is worth $375 million and will last for 10 years, making it the largest in sportscasting history.