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Tom Brady's record-setting broadcasting contract with Fox Sports, despite never being a broadcaster before, may have inspired other NFL players to pursue the same career path. While broadcasting has always been a popualr post-retirement career for NFL players, Brady may be the start of something even bigger in this field.
One player who appears on his way to the broadcast booth is Matt Ryan. He played for the Indianapolis Colts last season after being traded there by the Atlanta Falcons, but finds himself without a job for the upcoming 2023 NFL season. While he has yet to officially announce his retirement, he's surely been active in seeking different plans for his future.
Ryan apparently received multiple offers from different television stations to become a professional broadcaster, according to a recent report in the New York Post:
"Matt Ryan chose CBS over Fox Sports to start his analyst career, according to sources, taking the Greg Olsen path. Ryan hasn’t totally committed to not playing again, but, by going with CBS, Ryan will be able to see if he likes doing games or being in studio better. He will do both.
"(Fox was offering Ryan Sean Payton’s chair on its Sunday 11 a.m. pregame show.) CBS will also be able to evaluate Ryan in both venues."
Joining CBS instead of Fox Sports seems to create more opportunities for Matt Ryan to land a long-term job in the field. The report claimed that he would have been locked into a studio-only role during the NFL pregame show if he had followed Tom Brady to Fox Sports.
CBS gives him that same opportunity, while also allowing him to directly broadcast games as an analyst in the booth.
While it's unclear at this point how much money he turned down from Fox Sports, it's highly unlikely they offered him anywhere near what they gave Tom Brady.
Tom Brady's broadcasting contract in numbers
Tom Brady set the all-time record for the largest broadcasting contract ever signed and did so by a significant margin. His insane deal is worth $375 million dollars across 10 years, beginning in whichever season he decides to start broadcasting.
That starting point is rumored to be for the 2024 NFL season, but it's apparently not a definite as he allegedly explores other retirement plans.
If he does in fact lock himself into the broadcasting contract that's on the table, Brady will instantly become the highest-paid person in the business. Tony Romo currently holds that honor, as his current contract with CBS is worth $180 million across 10 years. Brady's AAV of $37.5 million more than doubles Romo's contract.
