Tom Brady will not be making a return in the way Patriots fans want
In just a few weeks, the Patriots will honor Tom Brady by waiving the traditional rules and inducting the quarterback into the Patriots Hall of Fame. It has been a highly anticipated return to Foxboro since he announced his retirement last year, prompting the event to sell out in minutes.
It's a moment Patriots fans have waited for ever since Brady decided to leave for the Bucs in 2020, which didn't look like a possibility for most of the last four years.
Tensions between him and Bill Belichick were at an all-time high, but fortunately, they appear to have settled, as seen at Netflix's roast special earlier this month.
On top of Brady finally retiring as a Patriot, there was another event that fans were looking forward to later this year: the quarterback being in the booth to call one of their games during the 2024 season. He will officially be joining the Fox Sports crew this fall, and the Patriots have several games that will be presented on Fox.
The problem is that of the announced games he will be calling; not a single Patriots game is on the docket.
Tom Brady will not be making a return in the way Patriots fans want
When the 2024 NFL season schedules were revealed last week, Fox also published the games they will be covering during the year. They listed 11 games, adding in they will cover a Week 18 game as well, leaving five games left to be announced,
- Week 1: Dallas Cowboys vs. Cleveland Browns
- Week 3: Baltimore Ravens vs. Dallas Cowboys
- Week 6: Detroit Lions vs. Dallas Cowboys
- Week 7: Kansas City Chiefs vs. San Francisco 49ers
- Week 9: Detroit Lions vs. Green Bay Packers
- Week 12: San Francisco 49ers vs. Green Bay Packers
- Week 13: New York Giants vs. Dallas Cowboys
- Week 14: Buffalo Bills vs. Los Angeles Rams
- Week 15: Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Philadelphia Eagles
- Week 16: Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Baltimore Ravens
- Week 17: Dallas Cowboys vs. Philadelphia Eagles
This leaves five Patriots games left to fill the weeks that are yet to be announced, a bit of a silver lining for fans still hoping Brady will the voice of a game this season.
- Week 2: vs. Seattle Seahawks
- Week 4: @ San Francisco 49ers
- Week 5: vs. Miami Dolphins
- Week 10: @ Chicago Bears
- Week 11: vs. Los Angeles Rams
Because New England is considered an underdog in every game, and most believe they will end the season with an equal or worse record than last year, it seems unlikely that the A-Team at Fox will pick up any of their games.
It's an unfortunate development for the upcoming season, but maybe Brady will make the calls in 2025.
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