Drew Brees and Tom Brady were part of the NFC South back in 2020. And they may soon be sharing a work desk, for Brees has signed a multi-year deal to be Fox Sports’ newest NFL game analyst.
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The former face of the New Orleans Saints is expected to take Mark Sanchez’ role alongside the network’s play-by-play announcer, Adam Amin, from Week 11. Funnily enough, Brady and Brees were competing against each other in a passing accuracy challenge on the Dude Perfect YouTube channel as the news was announced.
True to their nature as great competitors, the two legends were more focused on the task at hand rather than the idea of potentially working behind a desk together.
After Brady began to struggle with the ‘hard’ part of the challenge, he jokingly suggested that “If there’s anyone who can do this, it’s Drew Brees.” However, Brady managed to win the challenge by nailing the ‘impossible’ target on his 12th attempt.
While everyone else was busy celebrating and applauding the throw, he was simply turning his back to the target and showcasing the dead-eyed, competitive stare that fans were so accustomed to seeing.
Of course, Brees is much more worried about his upcoming opportunity with Fox. After all, the soon-to-be NFL Hall of Famer had infamously struggled during his tenure with NBC and their Sunday Night Football Crew, which only lasted for one season.
Bill Simmons described Brees as a “corpse” of a commentator, suggesting that he should be fed a healthy stream of coffee before his next appearance on camera. Former linebacker and Fox Sports Radio host, LaVar Arrington, even went as far as to claim that neither NBC nor the Saints “really wanted” Brees, and that the former quarterback was simply “crying out for attention.”
Nevertheless, Brees is ready to prove them wrong, going by what he said in his August interview with Dan Patrick. “I’d step in the booth right now and be a top-three guy, without question. And then give me a few years, and I could be the best,” Brees had stated.
Thanks to Fox Sports, he now has the opportunity to prove it. And if his history tells us anything, it’s that he’ll likely be a more polished product this time around. Brees has now had three years to learn from his mistakes, to improve upon his delivery, and to realize that Americans and television executives tend to prioritize entertainment over bland analysis.
There will be plenty of narratives and redemption arcs to look out for in Week 11, with Brees’ being one of them. Thankfully, the reports of a multi-year deal imply that he’ll be given a fair chance this time around. So fans won’t have to worry about him being ushered off after one bad performance.
If anything, NBC should have been the ones catching flak over his botched appearance in the 2021 playoffs. After all, we know what the former Saint is capable of when given an adequate amount of time and opportunity to prepare.
