Many former NFL picks players turn into fantastic NFL broadcasters due to their unique insight and analysis. Quarterbacks are the most common NFL retirees to turn to broadcast.
In recent years, numerous QBs immediately became color analysts after retiring. Tom Brady is the next to make the jump. The GOAT has agreed to a lucrative 10-year deal with FOX Sports. Once he calls it quits, Brady will step into the booth as an analyst.
Whose footsteps will Brady follow?
1. Troy Aikman
The Cowboys legend is one of the best NFL color analysts. After retiring in 2001, Troy Aikman joined FOX Sports. Aikman and Joe Buck were FOX’s top broadcast duo in 2002.
The three-time Super Bowl champ joined ESPN’s Monday Night Football this offseason, taking his partner along with him. Aikman’s deal is a five-year, $90 million contract.
This is one former NFL QB who made the perfect call to step into the broadcast booth.
2. Joe Namath
Not every former quarterback has a successful career in broadcast. Joe Namath, the Jets Hall of Famer, was a color commentator from 1985-93.
He was brought onto ABC’s Monday Night Football as an analyst in 1985. ABC dropped Namath only one year later. Afterward, the former Jet had a six-year stint with NBC.
Since 1993, Namath has dabbled in radio and podcasts.
3. Joe Montana
Joe Montana quickly found out broadcasting was not for him. Following his retirement in 1994, he spent one year in the studio with NBC. In 1995, Montana moved to broadcast.
He spent half a season as a color analyst for NBC. During Super Bowl XXX, Montana called his wife at halftime and said he was done. Throughout the season, the four-time Super Bowl champ was consistently criticized.
4. Ken Stabler
The 2016 Hall of Fame inductee worked as an NFL color commentator for CBS after retiring. Ken “Snake” Stabler moved to radio in 1998 covering his alma mater, Alabama.
He found his calling there, doing games until 2007. Stabler is not a legendary NFL broadcaster we remember, but his experience as a color analyst allowed his transition to radio.
5. Johnny Unitas
The NFL was changed forever after Johnny Unitas lit up opposing defenses for 18 seasons. The long-time Baltimore Colt was a legend on the field, setting numerous NFL passing records.
After retiring in 1973, Unitas transitioned to the booth. He was a color commentator on NFL games for CBS throughout the rest of the ‘70s. Unitas was one of the early examples of a Hall of Fame QB that immediately tried broadcasting after exiting the league.
6. Drew Brees
Like several of his predecessors, Drew Brees decided to utilize his incredible football knowledge on television. Brees joined NBC’s Sunday Night Football crew in his first year of retirement.
The Saints legend spent most of his time in the studio for NFL pregame and postgame shows. However, Brees did broadcast several Notre Dame football games with Mike Tirico.
7. Phil Simms
Phil Simms played for the New York Giants for 15 seasons and won two Super Bowls. In 1987, his career hit its peak, winning Super Bowl MVP after going 22-of-25 against the Denver Broncos. Simms began his career as an analyst with CBS in 1998, five years after retiring in 1993.
From 1998-2003, he was a color commentator alongside Greg Gumbel. Simms then called games with Jim Nantz from 2004-16 on CBS’ lead team. Since 2017, the longtime Giant has worked as an analyst on CBS’ “The NFL Today”.
Simms is one of the most successful examples of QB turned analyst.
8. Tony Romo
Tony Romo walked away from football in 2017 after 13 years with the Dallas Cowboys. He joined CBS as a color analyst for the upcoming season. The transition was flawless.
He quickly became a rising star in sports broadcasting. His ability to predict plays put him in elite company. After two years in the booth, CBS made Romo one of the industry’s highest-paid with a 10-year, $180 million contract.
Romo has the chance to be a legend as a color commentator.
9. Kurt Warner
Kurt Warner had an interest in covering the NFL after retiring in 2010.
He immediately appeared on the NFL Network as an analyst. Westwood One radio needed a color analyst for Monday Night Football when Boomer Esiason stepped down in 2018.
During the 2014 season, Warner filled in for Esiason over a short period. This set him up for snagging the full-time color analyst position with Westwood One after Esiason stepped down. Warner still holds his analyst position on the radio.
10. Don Meredith
After his playing days with the Dallas Cowboys, Don Meredith joined the original team of Monday Night Football in 1970. He had a brief absence from the role from 1974-76. In 1977, Meredith returned to MNF.
The nine-year NFL vet was a loved personality for 12 more years. Meredith was unique with his light-hearted approach in the booth.
He went from being the Dallas Cowboys’ original star to becoming a beloved broadcaster.
Quarterbacks transitioning to broadcast has been common over the years. Hall of Fame-caliber QBs look to take their vast knowledge to television, giving fans a different perspective.
Will Brady become the next broadcasting legend? FOX Sports is certainly all in on the GOAT.
