CBS star Tony Romo insists Tom Brady being his TV rival is ‘great for the industry’ as they prepare for ratings battle

TOM Brady’s Fox NFL Sunday debut is near — and with it, the noise around his arrival in the media sphere is getting louder.

Fellow retired quarterback Tony Romo , who serves as CBS Sports’ top lead game analyst in a pair with Jim Nantz, recently discussed the increasing number of ex-players behind the mic.

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Getty

And Romo, 44, thinks it’s good for the industry to have ex-players like Brady , 47, share their vast knowledge of the game with TV viewers.

“We all know Tom well,” the CBS Sports star said on CBS Mornings earlier this week, sitting beside Nantz and NFL sideline reporter Tracy Wolfson.

“You gotta remember, Jim’s done the most Tom Brady football games of anybody — literally over 100.

“I think it’s great. I think it’s great for the industry that people want to go into this position and these roles.

“I think you find that the NFL has that grab.

“This was not always that — Troy Aikman, I felt like really started this.

“Now, it’s part of possibly an arc in your career.

“But, Tom’s gonna do great. He’s working as hard as anybody.”

Brady is set to make his official commentary debut during Week 1’s Dallas Cowboys-Cleveland Browns matchup on Sunday, September 8.

He did a test run with the Fox crew during the Cowboys’ recent preseason game with the Los Angeles Rams .

His arrival at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, California, caused some confusion with the NFL suggesting he would be in the booth that day.

The former New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback later shared a behind-the-scenes video of his practice with his new on-air partner, Kevin Burkhardt.

“We comin’,” Brady captioned the clip.

Burkhardt worked with ex-NFL tight end Greg Olsen in Fox’s NFL broadcast A-team over the past few years.

The Tom Brady domino effect

Tom Brady will take his seat in Fox's top NFL announce team alongside Kevin Burkhardt.

And his arrival at the network has set off a domino effect with every other announcer moving down one spot.

That means Fox’s NFL coverage in 2024 will feature entirely new broadcast pairings.

Greg Olsen , who previously worked alongside Burkhardt, will now be part of the No. 2 announce team with Joe Davis.

The other Fox pairings for 2024 are:

• Adam Amin-Mark Sanchez
• Kenny Albert-Jon Vilma
• Kevin Kugler-Daryl Johnston
• Chris Myers-Mark Schlereth

Earlier this year, Brady recently expressed hopes he would be an asset to the Fox NFL family.

“I believe I can provide a pretty unique perspective that I think a lot of people will really like,” he told Front Office Sports .

“It’s going to be a lot of hard work. It’s going to be a lot of fun.

“It’s always about challenging yourself to grow in different areas. And this is certainly one way that I’m doing it.”

Brady still keeps himself in an NFL-ready shape , though.

The three-time MVP recently shared a video of himself showing off his great physique in a YouTube video.

“I just want to make sure all those young bucks in the NFL know that if I still wanted to come out of retirement, they still got something to deal with,” he said.