Nearly a week ago, Tom Brady sent shock waves across the NFL world when he expressed his desire to return to the NFL while appearing on Vic Blends’ DeepCut podcast. Since then, fans have been divisive over Brady’s stance. While many Tom Brady fans believe he still has some gas left in the tank, others feel he should call it a day and focus on his off-field ventures and contribute to various other communities than football. Former Patriots QB Cam Newton falls in the second category.
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In the latest edition of Cam’s “4th&1 Full Podcast, the QB aired his thoughts on the burning topic of Tom’s return. Cam however had an unequivocal and blunt stance on TB12’s return. “Fu*k no!” was Cam’s stance when asked about Tom Brady’s comeback. He joked that Tom knows he is a 103-year-old in football age and thus should focus on retirement. Jokes aside, Cam gave two reasons why Brady cannot make a comeback.
Firstly, Newton pointed out that with Tom being in the running for a minority ownership in the Raiders, his chances of playing while owning a team become minimal. Tom himself had doubts if he could circumvent this while talking to Vic. Secondly, Brady just signed a 10-year $375 million contract with Fox TV as a lead commentator. Hence it would leave a bad taste if Brady were to jailbreak out of this deal. Moreover, Newton opined that Brady is being paid a QB’s wages by Fox and should take it no matter what as it gives Brady the monetary benefit without the physical pain.
“Do I think he will come back? F**k no! He knows that he is like 103, just kidding. No, but he does look in shape of course but there are so many other things. This deal that makes him a minority owner in an NFL team will bar him from doing that. Also, the moth*rf**er just signed a massive Network deal with Fox, so what are we talking about? It is $350 million and you you ain’t got to get hit!”
While the ownership deal with the Raiders is still not confirmed, Cam makes a valid point about Brady’s Fox deal. It’s an insanely long contract and it’s hard to see Brady return to the field after the contract ends. However, some media analysts believe that Brady serving the full 10 years of the contract is “inconceivable.”
Richard Deitsch’s Bold Prediction
Back in May 2022, Tom Brady shocked the world by announcing his agreement with Fox to be their next color commentator once he retires for real. Now that a season has passed with Brady not gracing the football field, it seems like he has retired for real. As confirmed by TB12 earlier this year, the 2024 season will see Tom Brady join the Fox panel as the highest-paid sports commentator ever. He will be working alongside veteran play-by-play announcer Kevin Burkhardt on Fox’s feature games. However, the move hasn’t been well received by all.
For starters, Brady, a complete newbie in the world of broadcasting will be replacing the beloved Greg Olsen, Brady’s predecessor. Moreover, popular analyst Richard Deitsch among others opine that Brady’s commitment issues and love for the field may not lead him to complete the contract. In last month’s edition of Sports Media with Richard Deitsch, the host was ready to bet all his money on the fact that Brady won’t complete his contract. He wasn’t sure about how many years he would last, but he was confident that Brady wouldn’t complete the contract. Hence he suggested Olsen not leave Fox as Brady’s position will open up for Greg.
“I’d bet all the money I own that Tom Brady will not complete the Fox contract,” Deitsch said. “I can’t tell you how many years he will be there, but it seems inconceivable, to me, that he would be there for all 10.”
While the jury is open on whether Brady can complete the contract or not, Andrew Marchand of The Athletic believes that Brady will excel in his responsibilities. Andrew opined that Kevin being the play-by-play caller essays an unselfish role. Kevin made Greg look really good because he only used to ask questions and let the analysts say the smart stuff giving them the limelight. Hence Marchand believes that Brady has a very good partner in Kevin.
“Kevin Burkhardt is a very good play-by-player, but what he’s the best at is getting a lot out of his teammate,” Marchand said. “I think Olsen’s success had something to do with [having] Burkhardt as a partner. Kevin is unselfish and wants his analyst to do well. He [made] it about Olsen, and he will make it about Brady.”
Whatever Brady does, he will excel in it no matter what. As far as Brady’s comments on his return are concerned, it could just be wishful thinking from TB12 and nothing serious.
