When is Tom Brady’s first game as a commentator in the 2024 NFL season?

It’s been a while since former New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady retired from the NFL (for the second and final time), and since he signed a lucrative deal with Fox Sports to become a TV analyst. It was back in 2022 when he signed a 10-year, $375 million contract, and after a gap year between playing and working as an analyst, Brady will finally make his debut this Sunday.

Brady’s broadcasting debut

Brady will make his broadcasting debut along with play-by-play partner Kevin Burkhardt this Sunday, when the Cleveland Browns host the Dallas Cowboys in Ohio. The game kicks off at 4:25 p.m. ET from the Browns’ newly renamed stadium, Huntington Bank Field. Brady said he expects the game to be a defensive one (ohh, hot take, Brady!).

Brady’s debut is one of the most highly-anticipated TV game analyst debuts in history. Considering he’s known by many as one of the greatest players to ever play the game of football and received one of the most lucrative sports commentator contracts of all time, people are quite anxious to see how Brady does off the field.

Although Brady took a “gap year” between playing and broadcasting, he spent that year practicing and preparing for his new job as an analyst. He and Burkhardt called 17 games last season as practice.

“I want to be great at what I do,” Brady said back in February. “I was talking even last week with the people at FOX Sports, and the leadership there allowing me to start my opportunity in the fall of 2024 is something that’s great for me. So, [I’ll] take some time to really learn, become great at what I want to do, become great at thinking about the opportunity, and make sure I don’t rush into anything.”

Brady has approached broadcasting just as he did playing - meticulously and thoroughly. Along with practice calling, Brady spent time studying other NFL analysts, including CBS’ Tony Romo, ESPN’s Troy Aikman and NBC’s Cris Collinsworth. He’s also made calls to his new partners at FOX Sports to discuss ways to become a better playcaller. He even made sure to learn everyone’s names on the crew.

“I’m the rookie,” Brady said to one of his new colleagues. “I want to be a good teammate.”

Brady’s FOX Sports broadcasting access restricted among Raiders ownership bid

In May of 2023, Brady put in a bid to become a minority owner of the Las Vegas Raiders football team. Because of that, the NFL had to put restrictions on his access to NFL teams. Brady can speak with coaches and players on the phone as well as get information from his partners. He is also allowed to broadcast Raiders games. However, he cannot attend in-person or online broadcast production meetings nor access team facilities, players, or coaches. The rest of the FOX Sports staff will not be subject to these same limitations. Brady must also refrain from public criticism of league officials and other clubs as part of the league constitution. His decision to bid for a stake in the Raiders team has been highly criticized by league owners.