As Tom Brady begins his third season as the NFL’s No. 1 analyst on Fox and his second full season as minority (but majority) owner of the Raiders, he has no plans to back down from trying to keep two very large plates spinning.
In a recent article by Sports Business Journal on Fox’s on-air development of NFL talent, Brady reiterates his intention to continue holding down both jobs — while countering apparent criticism that his split attention makes it impossible for him to be as good as he can be at each job.
“It’s a click for people and it’s something that people have no idea what they’re really getting into,” Brady told SBJ. (If he’s secretly planning to run for president one day, he’s already perfecting the announcer’s attack routine.) “They just put it out there in the world and see what sticks. So for me, I just focus on what I have to do to be prepared. That’s what I did as a player, and I go out there every week as a broadcaster and try to do the same thing.”
That’s fine, but when Brady was a player he was a player and only a player. He wasn’t trying to do something else, like run a football team.
Just the fact that restrictions apply to his access to NFL teams makes it harder for him to be as prepared as he could be for Fox, beyond the fact that there are only 24 hours in a given day. And that prompts the most valuable observation about Brady’s insistence on wearing two hats: It’s impossible for him to be the best broadcaster he can be and the best owner he can be.
His latest bulletins overflow with principles that cannot be applied to his existence. Especially when all the other things he does are added to the mix. Regardless, Brady will ignore the critics (even if their criticism has merit) and continue to run the Raiders and collect massive checks from the Murdochs.
“I have a lot to prove to myself, to my teammates. I have a lot to prove to management,” Brady said. “I want to go win it and I don’t want to be handed anything. I hope they have me until the end of this contract. I like to enjoy the game. I like to watch good football. There is such good camaraderie and chemistry that we all have together. We have workshops. to get the job.”
And every minute he spends doing that is one less minute he has available to help the Raiders.
That’s the biggest reason why other teams don’t mind Brady continuing to work for Fox. We’ve argued in the past that it won’t be a problem until the Raiders become consistent contenders. Some in league circles believe that, as long as Brady is splitting his time between his two main gigs (among other things), the Raiders will never become a contender on his overpriced watch.
Some teams are much more concerned about Matt Ryan’s role with the Falcons, given that he gave up his spot at CBS, moved to Atlanta and went all in. Ryan may have a much better chance of turning around a team that hasn’t been to the playoffs since 2017 because Ryan is fully focused on doing so.
Brady is focused on his job at Fox. And he’s focused on his role with the Raiders. And he’s focused on the various other payouts he pursues, perhaps in hopes of making enough money to eventually become a majority owner of a team.
So yes, he will continue to do whatever he chooses to do. And no one in the NFL ecosystem will ever say no. And until he becomes as obsessed with his football team as he was as a player, it will be even harder for his football team to be a real factor.
That doesn’t mean the Raiders won’t bring him back. If it does, though, Brady likely won’t be the reason for it — even if he gets the credit.