Tom Brady hasn't even completed the first year of his blockbuster contract with Fox Sports, but the NFL legend is already facing questions about whether he'll return for a second.
Brady, who will be the color commentator along with Kevin Burkhardt on play-by-play for Super Bowl LIX, has endured an avalanche of criticism during the rookie season of his 10-year, $375 million contract with the network.
However, more recently it has been his other role within the NFL that has raised questions about his future in the booth.
The former quarterback became a minority owner of the Las Vegas Raiders in October, and despite the league implementing multiple rules to minimize a conflict of interest, many fans and analysts have criticized Brady's attempt to juggle both jobs.
Many have suggested that Brady might not be behind the microphone next season, while others have gone so far as to call on Fox to terminate his contract.
But the seven-time Super Bowl winner's agent, Don Yee, insisted his client isn't going anywhere.
Tom Brady will serve out the remaining nine years of his contract with Fox, his agent insisted
The seven-time Super Bowl winner has endured controversy during his first season.
“Tom has had a blast working with Fox this year and is very excited about the future with Fox and his growth on his team,” Yee said. sports business journal on Thursday. “And this year was the first of a long relationship.”
When asked if that meant Brady would last his remaining nine years, Yee adamantly insisted it did.
The question about Brady's future arises from his dual agency in the NFL. Brady may be Fox Sports' top NFL analyst, but he's also the voice of the Raiders.
Raiders owner Mark Davis recently revealed that Brady will have a “big voice” in the franchise's future, but former MLB executive Davis Samson said the retired NFL star can't be both. .
“Tom Brady is running that team right now; the NFL knows it and Fox knows it and something has to give.” So enjoy Tom in the booth because you won't see him there next year,” Samson told the Dan Le Batard Show.
“He'll be in the Raiders front office, he won't be back as a Fox analyst; you can't be that involved in a team's operation and be the number one analyst.”
“What he is doing is an absolute insult to analysts. And what he is doing is an insult to the team president.
“You end up doing both in a mediocre way… and I promise you he'll choose the Raiders.”
Many fans and analysts questioned Brady's role in the booth as a minority owner of the Raiders.
Brady is said to be involved in the search for a head coach in Las Vegas after firing Antonio Pierce.
When asked to clarify whether that was an assumption or information he had been told, Samson added: “Tom Brady will not be with Fox next season, he will be full-time in the Raiders front office running that team.” Period.'
More recently, Brady has sparked controversy amid the Raiders' search for a new head coach, a search the 47-year-old is spearheading.
The seven-time Super Bowl champion is reportedly playing a major role in the search for Antonio Pierce's replacement after the Raiders head coach was fired last week.
The Raiders have interviewed or plan to interview Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn, Kansas City Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, former Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll, and former New York Jets coach Robert Saleh.
And Brady is said to be favoring Johnson with the retired playmaker “in love” with him, according to NFL insider Ian Rapoport.
Brady, a minority owner of the Raiders, also spent time with Johnson's agent, Rapoport said.
However, with Brady scheduled to call the Lions' Divisional Round playoff game against the Commanders for Fox this weekend, it has sparked even more conflict of interest allegations.
“How's that going with the Tom Brady game this weekend?” Dan Patrick asked on his radio show Wednesday.
It has the Lions game against the Commanders. What if they show Ben Johnson on the sidelines? Is Raiders minority owner Tom Brady allowed to talk about Ben Johnson? Do you have any inside information? Which I think I would do. I love how the NFL makes it seem like, “This is not a conflict of interest.”