Tom Brady to Fox: How Troy Aikman Played a Role | SI Media Podcast

Did Troy Aikman trigger Fox to start negotiating with Brady?

Tom: Bob Breidenbach / USA TODAY NETWORK Troy: Scott Galvin/USA TODAY Sports

Episode 388 of the "Sports Illustrated Media Podcast" hosted by Jimmy Traina features an interview with Andrew Marchand of the "New York Post."

Marchand and Traina analyze the massive sports media news that Tom Brady has signed a deal with Fox Sports to become its No. 1 NFL analyst when he retires and Marchand reiterates that he stands by his report that Brady's deal is for 10 years and $375 million. Did Troy Aikman trigger Fox to start negotiating with Brady? Why did Fox spend so much money for Brady's services? What does this mean for Fox analyst, Greg Olsen? What will Fox do until Brady retires?

The following transcript is an excerpt from The SI Media Podcast. Listen to the full episode on podcast players everywhere or on SI.com.

 Andrew Marchand : If you want Tom Brady, this is what it costs. That's the cost of doing business, he's made $300 million plus by playing, his wife is a supermodel and maybe she makes the most of of any supermodel ever or something. And he has other businesses, right? So if you want Tom Brady, this is what it costs to get Tom Brady to travel every weekend and do these games.

Jimmy Traina: Yup, 100%. Now one area where the money does come into play and is interesting to me, and it's sort of a two-part thing here. I had Troy Aikman on the SI Media Podcast after he had left Fox and joined ESPN. And he said, he thought maybe Fox letting him go is sort of them trying to do a market correction on the announcers. Clearly that theory cannot be more wrong based on what happened on Tuesday. And then your podcast partner, John Ourand, came out with a tweet a few hours after the announcement that Fox started negotiating with Brady around the time Troy was negotiating with Amazon to possibly go there for Thursday night. Now I wrote in my column on Tuesday, no proof–speculation–but to me that comes off as Fox was pissed that Troy was dancing with Amazon. How off is my theory do you think?

Andrew Marchand : No your theory is correct. I mean, John's talked about it a lot on our podcast as well, that Fox was mad. I've heard that similar thing. I mean, even talking to people since the deal went down. You know, there's a feeling–I don't know this for like 100%–that it's like, 'hey, this is a screw you, Troy; kind of thing. You want to leave, complain about how we treated you, dance on your way out about maybe going to Amazon then ending up at ESPN? Acting as if we didn't treat you well for 20 years? And now they get Tom Brady. Now look, I've heard this, right? Like, this is one of the things where you hear a lot of different things, and you brought it up. So can I say that's a hundred percent? Like, that's what they were thinking and that's what they did? I can't tell you that. But that definitely is in the echo system of sports media talk.

Jimmy Traina: And I would say one thing in Troy's defense, because he did a bunch of interviews, did a couple with me included, other pods as well. And I don't recall him ever saying he wanted to, or planned on, or would leave Fox for Amazon. What he had said many times was he would do both or maybe come up with a hybrid package where he's doing Thursday night Amazon and Fox on Sundays. Now I could see that still pissing off Fox. But I never really heard Troy say like, I'm going to leave for the most money or something like that. And I do think in Troy's defense as well, he needed to get closer to Romo money just because that's what you do if you're in that class. So it does seem like Fox is being a little overly sensitive.

Andrew Marchand : I mean I think there might be more behind the scenes that we don't know. And so you have to factor that in. But yeah, I would say this, I'm not really taking a stand on this, like, Fox's side or Troy's side here, but let's say I did an interview for a column about Jimmy Traina. And in the interview you said, you know what? I may go write for ESPN.com, I'm already talking to them. I'm not sure SI would be like, Oh, that's cool, all right, Jimmy. You know, again, it's a little different as Troy Aikman, it is public, there are reports about it, he is doing these podcasts, and he was open and honest. And so in some regards I could say, you know what, Troy's just being open and honest, we ask everyone else to be honest, he's an analyst, this is his job, and bottom line is that's what he did. But I could see Fox also being like, 'What the heck, man, you've been here for 20 years, why are you going to talk about where you might go next?'

Jimmy Traina: I don't want to come off as just the defender of Troy, but his contract was up.

Andrew Marchand : Well yes, but also he negotiated an opt-out, right? He had an opt-out if he didn't want to do Thursday nights, he could have opted-out Thursday nights. To to get him to continue to do Thursday night, at least that was what the leverage was. They gave him a four-year extension and they gave him an opt-out after the season just ended. So they gave him an extension, but then he could go try to get more money on the open market, and he did, and that's his right, like good for him. He got $18 million a year. That's a great deal, he gives you Monday Night Football, he gets a Super Bowl and it turned out he got to work with Joe Buck, who he wanted to work with. I mean that part of it though, I mean, he wanted to work with Joe Buck so badly he was leaving.

Jimmy Traina: Listen, it worked out 100% for Troy. He has nothing to be upset about.

Andrew Marchand : I've heard things from both sides where there was disappointment in some things that happened maybe behind the scenes.

Jimmy Traina: Yeah, and I do think, and you had written this in the past couple of days and you were dead on 100%. Fox does have... you know, if you can say, Tom Brady is working for you and Tom Brady's part of your company and you can trot Tom Brady out at various things. You know, his appeal is bigger than anyone else's in the NFL. So I get it from that standpoint from Fox.

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