Tom Brady Talks About All the Measures He Took That Improved His Broadcasting Skills

Tom Brady’s first year on the mic as a Fox broadcaster in 2024 was, let’s be honest, rough around the edges. He came across as stiff and awkward, and his commentary often felt flat. At times it felt like he was seeing the game strictly through a quarterback’s lens. But Fox was paying him $37.5 million per year, so pulling the plug was never realistic. The GOAT simply had to get better at the craft.

Well, if you know Brady even a little, you know betting against him is usually a losing hand. He has, after all, made a career out of bouncing back, and more often than not, he comes back better than before. And that is exactly what happened in his second year as an announcer.

Even Fox NFL producer Richie Zyontz could not help but praise Brady’s growth this year. “To say he’s improved doesn’t do justice to where he is as an analyst. He’s excellent right now,” he had said.

Fans noticed it too, especially when he was calling the Week 16 game between the Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears. His Thanksgiving Day broadcast of the Green Bay Packers vs. Detroit Lions matchup also drew positive reactions. So how did Brady flip the script?

In his weekly newsletter, 199, the former quarterback has revealed his secret. He explained that he approached broadcasting the same way he once approached playing quarterback in New England. He started at level one. And only after seeing improvement would he move himself to level two.

Brady knew exactly what he needed to be as a broadcaster, sought feedback from people he trusted, and reached out to veterans who had been doing it for decades. He even went back and watched tape from his first season, treating it the way he used to study film during his playing days, and identified areas that needed fixing.

“In the booth, I wanted to be quicker, more incisive. I wanted to feel more comfortable. I wanted to feel better at picking my spots and knocking it out of the park with just enough of the most useful information at the right time. Like everything I put my heart into, I wanted to be the best I could be; not just for myself, but for my teammates and the fans, as well,” Brady wrote.

“I watched a lot of tape back from last season, again just like I did when I was a quarterback. I got advice from friends whose opinions I respected and from other colleagues whose experience I admired. I changed a bit about how I prepare for games and reorganized the information I have at my disposal over the course of these weeks,” he added.

Brady described how he has started to get outside of his comfort zone, which is perhaps why he seems more confident now in his calls. Like in the Thanksgiving matchup, he said boldly, “When there’s a safety in the middle of the field, you want to attack the seams. It’s not that hard. Look off the safety and throw the seam.”

Just one week of the regular season left, and then the playoffs. After that, we can imagine Brady getting back to work on his craft. Knowing him, he will come back even stronger to the studio for Year 3.