"Kind of blew me away when I heard the news," Brady told Fox play-by-play man Kevin Burkhardt. "I didn’t think that was an opportunity he was looking at. But they’re getting, obviously, a tremendous coach.
"Being in that locker room with him when I did for many years, those guys are gonna play very hard. He’s gonna coach them well. It’s a great benefit for all those players who are going to that program because they’re getting the best coach the NFL has ever seen – now he’s at a college level."
Burkhardt asked Brady about how he thought Belichick’s recruiting was going to go.
The former New England Patriots star quarterback admitted that his former coach was not exactly the warmest person in the world.
"He’s not the warmest and fuzziest of all time. It’s not like there’s tons of … I remember one year after we won the Super Bowl in our first year, we got in a limo on Bourbon Street after we beat the Rams in 2001, we got in a limo after the game, the next morning at the MVP press conference he goes, ‘You know what, Tom? You had a pretty good season.’ That was a about as warm and fuzzy as it got with coach Belichick," Brady said.
Belichick is set to replace Mack Brown as head coach. The Tar Heels are 6-6 this year and play UConn in the Fenway Bowl. Freddie Kitchens will coach the team for the game.
North Carolina has gone to six consecutive bowl games. They have had one 10-win season since 1998.
Tom Brady auctioned items from his personal luxury watch collection at Sotheby's.
Elyse Jankowski/Stringer/FilmMagic/Getty Images
Tom Brady auctioned 21 pieces from his luxury watch collection at Sotheby's on Tuesday.
His watch collection, which fetched $4.6 million, included pieces from Rolex and Audemars Piguet.
Brady's Rolex Daytona Paul Newman 'John Player Special' sold for $1.14 million.
Seven-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady is passionate about more than just football — he also has an extensive luxury watch collection.
Or, he used to.
On December 10, the retired 15-time ProBowler auctioned 21 of his watches at Sotheby's, along with 20 other "treasures" from his football career.
His whole collection brought in more than $9 million, with the watches selling for a total of $4.6 million.
"Watches were really the main story and drew the most value," WatchGuys CEO Robertino Altieri told Business Insider.
The luxury watch industry has experienced major fluctuations in recent years. Following a spike in interest during the COVID-19 pandemic, the industry faced a period of decline.
The overall market index is down 5.1% from 2023, per WatchCharts data from December 9, but the success of Brady's auction should help the industry, Altieri said.
"Seeing Tom Brady attach watches to the sports world as well — it's definitely huge," he added.
Brady's auction also reflects the trend of rebooting the luxury resale market through celebrity partnerships. In June 2024, for example, Sotheby's auctioned 11 watches from Sylvester Stallone's personal collection, including his Patek Philippe Grandmaster Chime which sold for $5.4 million.
From a custom Audemars Piguet to the final jersey Brady wore at the University of Michigan, here's a peek at some of the items sold at Sotheby's.
The most expensive watch sold was the Rolex Daytona Paul Newman 'John Player Special.' It went for $1.14 million.
Brady's Rolex Daytona 'John Player Special' sold for $1.14 million.
Courtesy of Sotheby's
Brady wore the vintage timepiece to the New England Patriots' 2023 home opener, where team owner Robert Kraft famously announced that he'd be inducted into the Patriots Hall of Fame the following June.
According to Sotheby's, the watch was "named after the legendary 1970s Formula 1 livery, because of its black and gold 'Paul Newman' dial" and is "exceedingly rare" due to very small production quantities.
"Beyond its scarcity, the watch radiates an undeniable allure, enhanced by its striking black-and-gold combination and its connection to a golden era of Formula 1," said Richard Lopez, Sotheby's senior specialist for watches.
Brady's custom Audemars Piguet sold for $720,000.
Brady's custom Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Flying Tourbillon sold for $720,000.
Courtesy of Sotheby's
This Royal Oak Flying Tourbillon by Audemars Piguet features several nods to Brady, including his name set with calibré-cut and baguette diamonds, the number seven in Roman numerals as a nod to his record Super Bowl wins, and his signature on the rotor, according to Sotheby's.
The watch is made of white gold and also includes "a baguette diamond-set bezel," according to Sotheby's.
Sotheby's previously estimated the watch was worth between $400,000 and $800,000, but Altieri said he'd expected it to exceed $1 million.
"It's not often that brands make a piece unique for someone," he said.
The IWC Pilot's Watch Top Gun Edition "SFTI" exceeded expectations, selling for $42,000.
Brady's IWC Pilot's Watch Top Gun Edition 'SFTI' sold for $42,000.
Courtesy of Sotheby's
The IWC Top Gun Edition "SFTI" was estimated by Sotheby's to go for a maximum of $10,000. Instead, it sold for $42,000, more than four times its market value.
"That was a really strong indicator just off the bat that more affordable pieces would go for higher numbers," Altieri said.
"Affordable," in this case, refers to their market value; IWC watches, for example, usually retail for less than $20,000, but significantly exceeded that number at the auction.
Brady famously wore this watch while celebrating at the 2021 Super Bowl boat parade in Tampa Bay after his seventh and final championship win.
Another piece that exceeded expectations was the Rolex 'Batman,' which sold for $60,000.
The Rolex 126710BLNR GMT-Master II 'Batman' sold for $60,000.
Courtesy of Sotheby's
Similar to the IWCs on auction, the Rolex 'Batman' performed well above its market value.
Altieri said the model's market value is $17,000, "but right away the bid went 50, 55, and then it sold for 60."
But while IWC soared, Richard Mille pieces like the 35-03 "Baby Nadal" sold at market value for $384,000.
Another watch in Brady's collection is the Richard Mille 35-03 "Baby Nadal."
Courtesy of Sotheby's
This collaboration between Richard Mille and 22-time Grand Slam singles champion Rafael Nadal is best known for its innovative "butterfly rotor."
For those not well-versed in watches, a rotor is a small weight within the watch that swings as the wearer moves, generating energy that winds and powers the watch.
What's different about the "butterfly rotor," according to Richard Mille, is that it "offers the wearer the possibility of varying the rotor geometry by themselves," allowing them to engage in various activities like sports without causing any damage or excessive winding.
Other figures who've worn pieces from Richard Mille and Nadal's collaborations include Jay-Z and Real Madrid's Antonio Rüdiger.
Altieri said the watches that "have a lot of hype in today's market" and "attract a lot of media," like a Richard Mille or an Audemars Piguet, didn't perform as well at the auction as he would've expected.
"You would think because it's Tom Brady's name — just like the IWCs and the Batman — it would at least go for double, but it didn't," he said.
Sotheby's previously estimated the piece would sell for between $300,000 and $500,000.
His Patek Philippe TBXII Grand Comp sold for $264,000.
The Patek Philippe TBXII Grand Comp sold for $264,000.
Courtesy of Sotheby's
Sotheby's estimated that this Patek Philippe pocket watch, retailed by Tiffany & Co., would sell for between $200,000 and $400,000.
It ultimately sold for closer to the lower end of its estimate at $264,000, which surprised Altieri.
"I thought there was some potential of something like this coming back into fashion, but it's really a bigger pocket watch. It didn't hit the expectation that I thought," he said.
Per Sotheby's, the "yellow gold open-faced watch from 1917 is a rare example" of the brand's minute repeater, which was first introduced in 1845.
Other items from Brady's football career were auctioned. The jersey he wore in his final game at the University of Michigan sold for $792,000.
The jersey Brady wore during his final collegiate football game at the University of Michigan sold for $792,000.
Courtesy of Sotheby's
In addition to luxury watches, Tom Brady and Sotheby's also auctioned memorable pieces from his playing career.
The best-selling item from his career was the jersey he wore in his final game with the University of Michigan (pictured above), which was estimated to sell for between $300,000 and $500,000, and ultimately sold for $792,000.
Other items included were the Tampa Bay Buccaneers jersey he wore when he broke the NFL's passing yards record, his NFL Combine shirt, and a helmet worn during his last season in the NFL.
"The collection is truly unparalleled; the stories they tell, the authenticity they embody, and their historical significance elevate them beyond mere collectibles," Brahm Wachter, Sotheby's head of modern collectibles, said in October. "These items are genuine pieces of sports history."
Randy Moss, the legendary Hall of Fame receiver, shook the football world a bit last week when he said he was stepping away from his duties on ESPN's "Sunday NFL Countdown" to deal with a personal health challenge.
Moss touched on that health challenge on Dec. 1 during the broadcast, where he was seen wearing sunglasses. He said he was "battling something internally," though he didn't get into details.
"(Moss) briefly addressed the matter at the start of the show on Dec. 1. For nearly a decade, Randy has been an invaluable member of the team, consistently elevating Countdown with his insight and passion. He has ESPN’s full support, and we look forward to welcoming back when he is ready," ESPN’s statement said.
During FOX NFL Sunday, several of Moss' ex-New England Patriots teammates, including Tom Brady, shared their heartfelt support for Moss.
"One of the all-time great teammates and friends, in touch to this day,' Brady said during FOX's broadcast. "Our heart obviously is with you, our prayers, all our positive energy. We love you so much, man."
Rob Gronkowski added: "We're thinking about you, Randy. We love you, man."
Moss, 47, told ESPN viewers that he has "some great doctors around me," and that "I couldn't miss the show" this past week. He even cracked a joke, calling his sunglasses "Michigan turnover glasses," which got some chuckles out of the panel.
Moss is one of the greatest wide receivers to ever step foot on an NFL field, tallying four All-Pro honors and six Pro Bowls over his 14 years in the league.
He is fourth all-time in receiving yards with 15,292 on 982 receptions, while being the Minnesota Vikings' franchise leader in receiving yards with 9,316 over his eight years with the organization.
Moss will turn 48 in February.
Fox News' Ryan Canfield contributed to this report.
Houston Texans captain Azeez Al-Shaair getting a three-game suspension has been a massive storyline coming out of the NFL's Week 13 slate following his hit on Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence, who was attempting to slide.
Legendary quarterback and current Fox broadcaster Tom Brady gave his take on the matter during an appearance on "The Herd with Colin Cowherd," during which he admitted having "mixed emotions" about the hit that led to a massive skirmish and Al-Shaair's immediate ejection.
Lawrence was ruled out the remainder of the game for a concussion after his head whipped onto the grass.
"I’ll start by saying there’s mixed emotions I have about it as well," Brady said. "I remember in 2001, I think we played at Buffalo and I slid late. Nate Clements was the corner for the Bills, and he came up out of the secondary and absolutely crushed me. My helmet went flying off. I got back and ran into the huddle, and I had a lot of teammates that came up to me the next day and said, ‘Dude, these guys are coming. You got to get rid of that football. And if you’re gonna slide, you better get down. These guys are coming to get you.’
"It was a great kind of learning experience for me because I realized, when I’m out of that pocket, things are moving a lot faster for me. The defense is trying to be aggressive, and over time, the NFL has obviously done a lot of things to protect players — players’ health and safety and on, and on, and on."
One of the main rules is hits to the head and neck area, which the NFL has cracked down on in recent seasons. Also, hitting the quarterback while he slides is something defenses need to be wary of each week.
In the case of Al-Shaair, the NFL deemed him in the wrong for making his hit on Lawrence, saying in his suspension reasoning that he could've altered his hit in the moment.
Though Brady has been on the receiving end of such hits, he questioned if the way the NFL has evolved, in this case with quarterbacks running more often than ever in the history of the game, that the offense can't go without blame here.
"The only aspect that I think is very challenging, and certainly for Trevor Lawrence, nobody wants to see somebody get hurt," Brady said. "But it is also the reality of a very physical sport that we play. Defensive players have to be aggressive — that’s their nature. I try to be aggressive on offense, we try to block aggressively. And at the same time, the defense tries to tackle aggressively.
"There’s an aspect for me that I think the quarterbacks need to take better care of themselves. I see Josh Allen run it a lot, I see Lamar Jackson run it a lot, and it’s a great skill set to have. A lot of times, I wish I had that skill set. When you run, you put yourself in a lot of danger. When you do that, I don’t think the onus of protecting an offensive quarterback who’s running should be on a defensive player. I don’t think that’s really fair to a defense."
Brady said he doesn't like the label "dirty player," which has been used by fans against Al-Shaair, especially considering the league pointed to his past transgressions on the football field as reason for the three-game dock.
"I don’t like that one bit," Brady said about the dirty player label. "Maybe they fine or penalize a quarterback for sliding late. They say, ‘Look, if we don’t want these hits to take place, we’ve gotta penalize the offense and the defense rather than just penalize the defensive player for every single play for a hit that happens on a quarterback.’"
Brady knows that game speed in the NFL can be lightning quick with decision-making needing to be made fast in order to execute plays on both sides of the ball.
But sometimes those decisions don't match up well, resulting in what transpired in Duval County on Sunday afternoon where Al-Shaair's decision to go full speed into the sliding Lawrence will have him sidelined until Week 17.
They may not be going head-to-head on the football field anymore, but the rivalry between Tom Brady and Eli Manning continues to rage on in a hilarious way after the latter poked fun at the former’s recent social media post.
Brady showed off what he did during Thanksgiving weekend as he posted an Instagram carousel, which included a shirtless picture of a fight he caught out at sea.
"A little warmer than it looked in Buffalo last night," Brady captioned the post, referencing the snowstorm that blew through the Buffalo Bills-San Francisco 49ers game in Orchard Park, New York, on Sunday night.
The shirtless picture of Brady, though, was the subject of Manning’s X post that had many cracking up as he placed his own fishing picture next to the New England Patriots legend’s.
"Cute Minnow, Tom!" Manning wrote, implying the fish he caught was bigger and better.
Brady, who lost twice in his two Super Bowl meetings with Manning’s New York Giants, wasn’t going to let him get away with that. So, he responded over the post.
"You use a helmet to catch that one too?" Brady said.
Of course, the reference is to the David Tyree catch in Super Bowl XLII, where Manning heaved a 32-yard desperation pass to Tyree, who needed his helmet to catch it through tight coverage.
The catch went down in history as one of the most important in NFL history as it extended the Super Bowl-winning drive, which was capped by a Manning touchdown to Plaxico Burress with seconds remaining in the fourth quarter.
The Giants, a wild card team out of the NFC that year, beat the undefeated Patriots.
Then these two teams matched up again in Super Bowl XLVI, where Brady’s Hail Mary at the end of the game didn’t have the same magic as the Tyree catch, hitting the turf for the Giants upset yet again.
Now, Brady’s career is legendary, and many consider him the greatest to ever play the game. But Manning is considered one of the best in crunch time at the quarterback position after his years with the Giants, and beating Brady in those two Super Bowls is a feat many can’t say they’ve done.
So, these two have been poking fun at each other since their playing days came to an end, but of course, it’s all in good fun. Brady even brought it up recently in his Fox broadcast for the Giants-Dallas Cowboys Thanksgiving Day matchup.
While Brady is a shoo-in to make the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his first year on the ballot down the road, Manning is currently in the process this year, with many debating if he should get a bronze bust in Canton, Ohio.
Daniel Jones' tumultuous tenure with the New York Giants came to an end last week. After initially benching the 2019 first-round draft pick, the franchise granted the quarterback's request for his release.
The decision to part ways with Jones was described as a mutual agreement, with Giants President and co-owner John Mara saying moving on from Jones "would be best for him and for the team." Jones cleared waivers in short order and landed with the Minnesota Vikings. He is expected to serve as a backup to starter Sam Darnold.
Tom Brady, the seven-time Super Bowl winner and lead analyst for "NFL on FOX," was on the call for the Dallas Cowboys' Thanksgiving Day game.
The Cowboys hosted the Giants, and, at one point during the broadcast, Brady shared his thoughts about Jones' unceremonious exit.
Brady suggested he would have handled the situation differently had he been in Jones' shoes.
"I don't know how that whole situation went down, but to think that you'd ask for a release from a team that committed a lot to you is maybe different than how I would've handled that," Brady said during Thursday's broadcast. "I always felt I wanted to get the trust and respect of my teammates regardless of the situation, knowing that I was trying to be the best I could for the team because that was the most important thing."
The former New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback acknowledged the unique challenges football players can face at different points of their careers but noted that helping any team he was on was always his top priority.
"There's just some different things that happen in the NFL," Brady said. "Everyone makes individual choices. I think we all, at points in our career, face different challenges. I faced them in college, and some things didn't go the way I wanted, but the people that mattered the most to me were the guys in the locker room. I showed up every day. I didn't care if they asked me to be scout team safety, be scout team quarterback. I was gonna do whatever I could to help the team win."
Shortly after Jones was benched, reports surfaced that the quarterback lined up as a scout team safety for the Giants' defense at practice. He was also seen participating in passing drills alongside veteran quarterback Tim Boyle, who is listed as the third string signal-caller on the Giants' depth chart.
The Giants lost 30-7 to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 12, which marked the team's first game without Jones this season. Thursday's loss to the NFC East rival Cowboys dropped New York's record to 2-10.
Mike McCarthy's job security has been a topic of conversation all season long.
The Dallas Cowboys' struggles this season have appeared to amplify the noise surrounding the head coach. The Cowboys did manage to upset the Washington Commanders in Week 12 before following up that performance with a 27-20 win over the New York Giants on Thanksgiving Day.
McCarthy is in the last year of his contract, and it remains unclear whether longtime team owner Jerry Jones would opt to bring him or any members of the current coaching staff back. However, in the midst of the uncertainty and criticism, NFL icon Tom Brady voiced his support of McCarthy.
"Oh, I think Coach McCarthy is a great coach. His 18th season as a head coach," Brady said on Thursday. The seven-time Super Bowl winner also lauded McCarthy's leadership and play-calling skills.
"He's a leader of men. But not only as a play-caller, he’s a developer of players, of talent, of quarterbacks."
McCarthy helped lead the Green Bay Packers to a Super Bowl title, and Brady pointed out the coach's "championship DNA."
"He’s got a very consistent personality to him. He won in Green Bay. He’s got a championship DNA. I think he’s one of the better coaches in the NFL, absolutely."
Victories over Washington and New York improved the Cowboys' record to 5-7. While the Cowboys are not mathematically eliminated from playoff contention, the team has a challenging road ahead.
Dak Prescott will not be returning to the lineup until next season due to a hamstring injury. Star wide receiver CeeDee Lamb sustained a shoulder injury during Dallas' win over the Giants on Thursday and is listed as questionable ahead of next week's game.
While running back Rico Dowdle finished the Thanksgiving Day game with 112 yards on the ground, the Cowboys overall rushing production remains an issue.
During an appearance on 105.3 The Fan on Tuesday, Jones was asked if offering McCarthy a contract extension was something that he would consider questionable.
"I don't think that's crazy at all. That's not crazy," Jones said. "Listen, Mike McCarthy is an outstanding coach. ... Mike McCarthy has been there, done that. He's got great ideas. So the bottom line is, in no place in my body language or anything else, have you seen an indication about what we're going to be doing relative to this staff at the end of this year. And we shouldn't. We've got a lot of football left."
Before Tom Brady took on his first Thanksgiving Day game in the broadcast booth, he decided to spend his Thanksgiving Eve taking in another sport.
Brady was spotted mingling at American Airlines Center for the Dallas Mavericks and New York Knicks primetime matchup on Wednesday night. Brady was spotted shaking hands with Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd and others.
It was all Dallas on the court, too, as Brady watched the Mavs beat the Knicks, 129-114, to move to 11-8 on the season. New York fell to 10-8.
Brady will be on the call with Kevin Burkhardt for the Dallas Cowboys-New York Giants NFC East battle on Fox at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday night.
Brady mentioned earlier on Wednesday that he was "fired up" to call the game, though it features the two worst teams in the storied NFL division.
Mike McCarthy’s Cowboys finally snapped their losing skid last week in a wild finish against the Washington Commanders, where kicker Austin Seibert missed the extra point to send the game to overtime after Washington’s Terry McLaurin scored a miracle touchdown from Jayden Daniels with just seconds to play.
Meanwhile, the Giants have lost six straight games, including a blowout by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at MetLife Stadium this past Sunday in Tommy DeVito’s first start post-Daniel Jones’ release.
Jones, who officially signed with the Minnesota Vikings to likely become their backup at some point before the playoffs, was released after going 2-8 this season. The Giants are already looking toward the future with six games left on the schedule.
DeVito is a longshot to play on the short week, as he’s suffering from a forearm injury. Drew Lock, whom the Giants paid $5 million this offseason to be Jones’ backup, would be the next man up if DeVito can’t play.
And while he may not be playing anymore, Brady knows that his choice of profession means being away from family on holidays.
According to Page Six, Brady’s ex-wife, Gisele Bündchen, took their children, Benjamin and Vivian to Costa Rica along with her boyfriend, Joaquim Valente.
Brady was featured on two-time U.S. Open champ Bryson DeChambeau's "Breaking 50" series on YouTube, where he told a story about how Jack, 10 years old at the time, tried to swing his way into the Super Bowl victory afterparty that certainly was not suitable for his age.
"We had one with my son Jack — in 2018, we beat the Rams in the Super Bowl in Atlanta, and Snoop Dogg was performing at the afterparty. He's like ‘Dad, I want to go to the party,’" Brady told DeChambeau.
"It's like 1 a.m. There's girls dancing on — I'm like, ‘Jack.’ He's like ‘Dad.’ Shaking his head away. It was like I'm the worst parent in the world."
The Super Bowl was low-scoring, being knotted at three heading into the fourth quarter. But, Brady found old reliable Rob Gronkowski for a 29-yard gain, and Sony Michel cleaned up the mess with a two-yard score. It was the first, and only, touchdown of the game, and the Pats never looked back, winning the game, 13-3.
Brady went 21-for-35 for 262 yards in the victory. It was his third consecutive Super Bowl appearance, having split the previous two.
The University of Michigan was reportedly willing to offer $10.5 million in NIL money to get the top recruit in the Class of 2025, but there was one more chapter in the playbook they may have opened up.
Quarterback Bryce Underwood flipped his commitment from LSU to Michigan last week, which will keep him close to home – he's a quarterback for nearby Belleville High School.
But as the school attempted to lure Underwood away from Baton Rogue, they went deep into the bag of tricks, and reportedly got Tom Brady to FaceTime him – before becoming the NFL's GOAT, he quarterbacked Michigan in the late 1990s.
Brady and Underwood then formed a relationship that grew over multiple conversations, according to CBS Sports. Brady apparently told the high school senior he would be a resource to Underwood.
Michigan’s pursuit of Underwood ramped up in the last couple of months, according to ESPN, and the decommitment of Carter Smith, a four-star recruit, created buzz that Underwood could be flipping.
Underwood was in Ann Arbor on Saturday tailgating and taking in the crowd against Northwestern. Turned out, he was in the streets with none other than Connor Stalions, the accused ringleader of the sign-stealing scheme that swarmed the Wolverines last year during their national championship season.
Stalions, however, is actually one of Underwood's assistant coaches at Belleville, so it certainly was not a random coincidence.
The quarterback is listed as ESPN's top high school prospect in the country.
It’s unknown what Underwood’s NIL situation with the Wolverines is specifically, but it’s safe to say it played a factor in him staying put in his home state.
As did Tom Brady.
Underwood can officially sign with Michigan Dec. 4, when he would become the first No. 1 overall recruit since Rashan Gary signed with the Wolverines in 2016.
Fox News' Scott Thompson contributed to this report.
