Fox Sports is investing $375 million to get Tom Brady in the broadcast booth, and the network wants to make sure everyone knows he’s there.

The seven-time Super Bowl champion made his debut as an NFL analyst during Fox’s broadcast of the season opener between the Dallas Cowboys and the Cleveland Browns on Sunday. But first came a Brady hype video that led into the pregame show, in which the studio team admitted they couldn’t help but “fanboy” over their new colleague.

“You’re an announcer, how about that!” play-by-play announcer Kevin Burkhardt said as the camera panned to the booth in Cleveland, where Brady, in a coat and tie, was making his first live on-screen appearance. The former Patriots and Buccaneers quarterback was identified as they entered the booth as a “seven-time Super Bowl champion.”

And that, as the kids say, is a fun flex.

Sideline reporter Erin Andrews let Dallas coach Mike McCarthy know that Brady was complimentary about his play calls. Charissa Thompson gave him a few shout-outs when she came in with score updates on the game between Tampa Bay, one of his former teams, and the Washington Commanders.

Burkhardt joked during another on-screen appearance that he paid extra attention to his hair because he knew there would be more footage from the broadcast booth.

“I do what they tell me. I understand that,” Brady said with a laugh. “I’m still a rookie here.”

That was clear to the viewers.

Brady’s commentary was knowledgeable, as expected, but also lacked personality — no Tony Romo predicting the next play, no John Madden with his “Boom!” and turducken, not even the quarter-zip jerseys that set Peyton Manning apart from the dozens or hundreds of other ex-jocks who joined the media when their playing careers were over.

There was some awkward laughter, an embarrassing fist bump for rules analyst Mike Pereira, and many players were called by their first names (along with an unnecessarily deferential reference to “Coach McCarthy”). Brady refused to address Cleveland receiver Amari Cooper when a pass went through his hands in the fourth quarter, and he made excuses for the Browns as he tried to find positives in a terrible performance.

As one X user tweeted“Tom Brady is to broadcasting what Michael Jordan is to baseball.”

(Brady, who was selected in the sixth round and played his first NFL season as the Patriots’ fourth quarterback, of course developed into a quarterback just fine.)

It didn’t help that the game, which Dallas led 27-3 in the second half, was headed for a blowout that would challenge even a veteran announcer to hold the crowd’s attention. But that’s where Brady was able to use his experience to his advantage.

“There’s plenty of time left in this game,” said the quarterback who famously led the Patriots from a 28-3 deficit in Super Bowl 51 against Atlanta. “The margin for error is small.”

On one play, Brady instructed Deshaun Watson to throw the ball to an open tight end, but the Browns quarterback didn’t see the ball.

Brady played 23 years in the NFL before retiring after the 2022 season as the most decorated player in league history. He signed a 10-year deal with Fox Sports — replacing the respected Greg Olsen as the network’s lead analyst. Brady took last year off, a gap that only added to the anticipation of whether he could transfer some of his on-field knowledge and skills to the booth.

Minutes before kickoff, there was a commercial featuring Brady in his various football uniforms, talking to himself, wondering why he didn’t just take the estimated $450 million he earned during his playing career and go to the beach to “get fat on pina coladas.”

“What they’re really asking is why don’t you quit football? They don’t understand that you live and breathe football. Because you’re Tom Freaking Brady,” a succession of helmeted Bradys say. “And our football journey is far from over.”

“Back to work,” says the current Brady.

With five Super Bowl MVP awards in his seven NFL title game victories — six for New England and one for Tampa Bay — Brady established himself as the greatest player in league history. He retired with the career records for wins and playoff wins, passing touchdowns and playoff passing touchdowns, and passing yards and playoff passing yards, among other records.

And while he hasn’t been entirely free of controversy during his career — most notably during the two-year Deflategate odyssey that led to a four-game suspension for cheating — Brady rarely made headlines for what he said.

Brady’s new career has already suffered a setback as his simultaneous attempt to buy a minority stake in the Las Vegas Raiders means he does not have the access to team facilities, players and coaches that other broadcasters do. He must also abide by the league constitution and bylaws that prohibit public criticism of officials and other clubs; he is allowed to broadcast Raiders games.

The long-awaited debut stole the spotlight from the matchup between the reigning NFC East champion Cowboys, who signed quarterback Dak Prescott signed a record-breaking four-year, $240 million contract earlier on Sunday, and the Browns team is expected to miss the playoffs.

As the final 30 seconds of the Cowboys’ 33-17 victory ticked by, Brady and Burkhardt discussed their new partnership as much as the game itself. Back in the studio, Michael Strahan picked Brady — not any of the players — as the day’s biggest winner, and Brady shared some wisdom gleaned from his fellow athlete-turned-TV personality: “You wake up tomorrow, Monday morning, you’re not going to be stiff.”

“I’m very happy with that,” Brady said.

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