Tom Brady was either the GOAT or the goat of his inaugural game as an NFL broadcaster based on the reaction by football fans.
The legendary New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback served as the color analyst alongside veteran play-by-play announcer Kevin Burkhardt on the Sept. 8 Fox broadcast of the Dallas Cowboys’ 33-17 win over the Cleveland Browns.
Fox announced in 2022 that it had signed Brady to a 10-year deal, which reports at the time said was for a record $375 million, to be the lead analyst on its No. 1 broadcasting team for the NFL.
Burkhardt welcomed him to the other side of the microphone ahead of the game on Sunday.
“You’re a broadcaster! How about that,” Burkhardt said.
“We’re here,” Brady said before smiling. “It’s been quite a journey. I’m excited to be your partner.”
Like any rookie in his first game, Brady tried to work through some early jitters to settle into the broadcast.
He started with an awkward interaction with Mike Pereira, the former NFL official turned Fox broadcaster who gives his take on replay challenges and penalty calls. Brady went to fist bump Pereira, who didn’t seem to catch the gesture.
“Don’t leave me hanging,” Brady said before Pereira fist-bumped him. “There you go.”
Fans had mixed opinions about his transition into the broadcast booth after a record-setting career in which he became the consensus greatest quarterback in NFL history.
There were some fans who thought his broadcasting needed work.
“Maybe someone should have listened to Tom Brady actually say words before dropping $300 million on him,” one wrote on X.
“Is it me or was #TomBrady awful!” another posted.
“Tom Brady is finally bad at something,” another wrote.
“Tom Brady was pitiful,” another commented. “FOX made a mistake replacing Olsen with Brady. It was a boring broadcast listening to Brady’s mundane comments.”
Others felt like Brady struggled a little out of the gate but has plenty of potential.
“I like Tom Brady in the booth,” NFL Network reporter Jane Slater wrote on X. “It’s smart. He’s not pressing and screaming w faux excitement. Let’s (sic) Kevin talk then steps in. Easy, intelligent call. Just my two cents.”
“Tom Brady is getting beaten up on X right now on his debut as a broadcaster,” Kansas City meteorologist Gary Lezak wrote on X. “I spent 38-years in broadcasting, and he is a rookie on his first day. I can tell he is very nervous, and it isn’t something that gets better instantly. He will get much better, so give him some slack. And, let’s see him improve in the next few weeks.”
“I thought Tom Brady was good on the mic yesterday,” one fan wrote on X. “He let things run a little bit but as he gets more games he’s gonna learn when to get his points in and let his partner take over. He took it very serious clearly and it went well. Good game one.”
Brady’s next game will again feature the Dallas Cowboys when they face off against the visiting New Orleans Saints at 1 p.m. ET on Sept. 15 on Fox.