The winter of 2022 marked a historic surge in sports broadcasting talent, with record deals made for NFL commentators. ESPN secured Joe Buck and Troy Aikman from Fox for $165 million, while Amazon signed Al Michaels with a lavish contract. The speculation included former Rams coach Sean McVay considering a $20 million offer to join Michaels. Fox aimed for Tom Brady for the biggest sports commentary contract, reflecting strategic moves reminiscent of Rupert Murdoch's earlier successes, further revolutionizing sports media's economics and competition.
During that winter, seven-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady briefly retired. Fox put him on the top of its game analyst board but considered it a long shot.
ESPN poached Fox's top team, Joe Buck and Troy Aikman, for a combined total of $165 million, highlighting the fierce competition for sports broadcasting talent.
McVay was tempted to leave coaching by a potential $20 million a year offer to join Michaels on Amazon's Thursday Night Football, but ultimately decided to remain.
Despite expressing no previous interest in broadcasting, Brady was willing to take a face-to-face meeting about potentially joining Fox Sports as a commentator.
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