Tom Brady has played in the NFL for more than half his life. Now that he’s retired “for good,” what’s next for the legendary quarterback?
Brady may have announced his retirement on Wednesday, but football fans may still see him every Sunday next season. Instead of throwing touchdown passes, Brady could be in the broadcast booth.
In May, the quarterback and Fox agreed to a 10-year, $375 million deal for Brady to be their lead NFL analyst, ESPN reported. Brady will join play-by-play announcer Kevin Burkhardt, who currently calls games with former Carolina Panthers tight end Greg Olsen.
“We are pleased to announce that immediately following his playing career, 7-time Super Bowl Champion Tom Brady will be joining us at Fox Sports as our lead analyst,” Fox CEO Lachlan Murdoch announced last May on Twitter. “We are delighted that Tom has committed to joining the Fox team and wish him all the best during this upcoming season.”
Excited, but a lot of unfinished business on the field with the @Buccaneers #LFG https://t.co/FwKlQp02Hi
— Tom Brady (@TomBrady) May 10, 2022
Who will play quarterback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2023?
The Buccaneers now only have one quarterback on their roster: Kyle Trask. The second-year quarterback was drafted by Tampa Bay in 2021 but has only appeared in one game, where he completed just three passes for 23 yards, according to ESPN.
Tampa Bay has the no. 19 pick in this year’s NFL draft and could draft a quarterback if the team wants to undergo a complete rebuild. Trading for an established quarterback could be an option, too.
Prior to Brady’s announcement, a panel of seven NFL experts at ESPN mulled potential replacements for Brady. Four said the Buccaneers should trade for Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Derek Carr, while one suggested they trade for San Francisco 49ers quarterback Trey Lance.
“If they want to go outside the organization, Derek Carr — who is likely to be traded or cut by the Raiders — could be a fit. He’s a pure pocket passer with an affinity for the deep ball — Mike Evans’ specialty — but he’ll cost more than Gabbert or Trask,” Jeremy Fowler wrote in his prediction for the panel.
There are also free agent options, including Baker Mayfield, Jimmy Garoppolo and Daniel Jones. But Brady’s retirement could hamper the Buccaneer’s free agency additions with $35.104 million of dead money against the cap, CBS Sports reported.
Mayfield is a former No. 1 overall pick. After being waived by the Panthers, he was picked up by the Los Angeles Rams and led the team to an impressive win after only being with the organization for 48 hours. But he didn’t record any touchdowns in his last two games of the season, according to ESPN.
Garoppolo was supposed to be Brady’s successor in New England, and he can take up that mantle in Tampa Bay now that San Francisco has options with Lance and Brock Purdy. Coach Kyle Shanahan signaled the end of Garoppolo’s time in San Francisco on Wednesday when he told reporters he didn’t see “any scenario” of Garoppolo returning to the team, Yahoo Sports reported.
The New York Giants declined to pick up Jones’ fifth-year option, making him a free agent. He finished the 2022 season with the best completion percentage and passer rating of his career and led the team to their first playoff game in five years, according to ESPN.