NFL just gave Tom Brady another massive win in his post-playing career

"The greatest quarterback in NFL history was a rookie in the broadcast booth for FOX last season, and it showed. The consensus among NFL fans after Brady's debut season as a color commentator was that he should pursue other ventures, like his new gig as a minority owner of the Las Vegas Raiders. Brady's analysis was often awkward, choppy, and lacked the insight of a player who spent 23 seasons terrorizing the AFC East and every defensive coordinator he went up against."

"It's important to note, however, that Brady was playing by a special set of rules. As a partial owner, he was barred from attending practices or even sitting in on game-week production meetings, leaving him with less intimate information and an obvious fear of saying the wrong thing. For one of the most detail-obsessed and preparation-focused players the NFL has ever seen, there's no way Brady felt like himself in the booth in Year 1."

"While it's understandable why teams would ban a parietal NFL owner from practices, nixing production meetings never made much sense. Intimate, game-specific information flows through those discussions, and the fact that Brady had to be briefed on those meetings by broadcast partner Kevin Burkhardt is kind of brutal. Brady definitely sounded nervous in the booth over his first couple of games, but working at a disadvantage certainly didn't help."

Tom Brady struggled in his first season as FOX's lead analyst because ownership rules prevented him from accessing the same preparation sources available to broadcast teammates. As a minority owner of the Las Vegas Raiders, Brady could not attend practices or game-week production meetings, leaving him dependent on secondhand briefings and cautious about on-air comments. The lack of intimate, game-specific information produced awkward, choppy commentary that lacked the detailed insight expected from a 23-season veteran. The NFL has reversed the restriction for 2025, permitting Brady to participate in production meetings and improving his ability to deliver informed analysis.

Read at Musket Fire