It has been just 19 months since seven-time Super Bowl winner Tom Brady announced his “final” retirement from the NFL.

This afternoon, the NFL legend will make his long-awaited television debut when he joins lead live commentator Kevin Burkhardt in the FOX booth for “America’s Game of the Week.”

The Cleveland Browns host the Dallas Cowboys for the nationally televised Week 1 game. FOX Sports sideline reporter Erin Andrews and reporter and feature writer Tom Rinaldi will also join Burkhardt and Brady on the weekly NFL broadcasts.

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Tom Brady looks on before the Las Vegas Aces home game against the Phoenix Mercury at Michelob ULTRA Arena on May 14, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Aces defeated the Mercury 89-80. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

In 2022, Fox Corporation CEO Lachlan Murdoch announced during a company earnings call that the seven-time Super Bowl champion would eventually join the sports network’s top commentary team after his illustrious football career ended. Brady was a member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at the time.

“It will be an outstanding and exciting television career,” Murdoch said in 2022, “but it is up to him to make that decision when he feels it is right.”

TOM BRADY CAN DO ONE THING TO STAND OUT FROM OTHER BROADCASTS, SAYS FORMER NFL STAR

Brady decided to postpone his foray into the commentary booth for a year, but ultimately committed to starting the second part of his career in 2024. The New England Patriots legend has mentioned the next step of his career in various interviews and talks over the past few months.

Former NFL quarterback Tom Brady looks on before a game between the Michigan Panthers and the Memphis Showboats at Ford Field on May 18, 2024 in Detroit, Michigan. (Nic Antaya/UFL/Getty Images)

Brady spoke to FOX Sports from the announcer’s booth at the Cleveland Browns’ home stadium on Saturday while his alma mater, Michigan, gathered in the locker room during halftime of a game against Texas.

“Obviously I’m super excited, but there’s not a lot of nerves,” Brady responded when asked about his feelings ahead of his debut. “A lot of people have been preparing a lot for this and it’s been a multi-year journey. But I think the most exciting thing for me is that I get to get back to NFL football. Up here in the locker room, I have the best partners on the field with Kevin and Erin, along with Tom Rin… We have a great group. I get to work with so many talented people, I’m part of a great team. And I get to cover a sport that I absolutely love.”

Brady talks in the commentary booth about his expectations for the first season

Brady has earned a reputation for being extremely meticulous in his preparation for games, and his dedication seems to have carried over into his television career as well.

The Athletic reported that Brady was in an NBC production truck during a Miami Dolphins game. Burkhart has participated in simulated games with Brady. The legendary quarterback admitted that he apologized to Burkhart when he made mistakes during practice games. However, Brady said the veteran commentator calmed him down.

“I want to get up every day and try to prove to them, ‘Hey guys, I know I’m the rookie, but I’ve got your back, too,'” Brady told “FOX NFL Sunday” host Curt Menefee.

Will Brady criticize the players during the broadcast?

Brady has openly shared his thoughts on his “Let’s Go!” podcast over the past few years.

Last year, he spoke on the podcast about the state of the NFL, saying, “I think there’s a lot of mediocrity in the NFL today,” Brady said.

Shortly before being inducted into the Patriots’ Hall of Fame, he told Yahoo! Sports that “the quarterback position in the NFL has gone a little backwards.” He pointed the finger at coaches in the league and in college football. However, during a conversation with Stephen A. Smith last month, Brady cautioned that he wants to avoid being too critical of quarterbacks in the commentary booth.

Tom Brady presents the MVP trophy to Adrian Martinez No. 9 of the Birmingham Stallions after the Stallions defeat the San Antonio Brahmas to win the UFL Championship Game on June 16, 2024 at The Dome at America’s Center in St. Louis, Missouri. (Scott Rovak/UFL/Getty Images)

“That was awful,” was an example of a sentence Brady said he might like to say into the microphone, but he admitted, “I just can’t say something like that on TV.”

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He co-hosted the podcast “Let’s Go!” along with veteran sportscaster Jim Gray and former wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald. Bill Belichick was recently announced as Brady’s successor on the podcast as the football star focuses on his new role at FOX.

The Cowboys and Browns game begins at 4:25 p.m. Eastern Time on FOX.

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