Amendment to Tom Brady Rules Will Impact Chiefs Early in Season

Twist creates interesting wrinkle for Week 2 showdown with Eagles.

Oct 2, 2022; Tampa, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady (12) greets Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) after a game at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – In addition to his seven Super Bowl rings, Tom Brady wears two hats these days. Most see him as the color commentator next to Kevin Burkhardt every Sunday as part of the No. 1 FOX broadcast team.

But he’s also a minority owner of Kansas City’s heated AFC West rival, the Raiders. And according to The Athletic broadcast insider Andrew Marchand, the NFL will now allow Brady to attend valuable production meetings in the 48 hours prior to each of his assigned games.

And in Week 2, his assigned game is the Super Bowl rematch with Philadelphia at Arrowhead Stadium. That massive contest anchors the NFL’s late-afternoon window on Sept. 14, a 3:25 p.m. CT kickoff that will go to most of the nation.

It also means that Andy Reid, Patrick Mahomes, Steve Spagnuolo and Matt Nagy will sit down off camera with Brady for production meetings with the FOX broadcast crew. Production meetings are crucial opportunities for announcers to gather exclusive information they can use during the broadcast. Unlike general media interviews, coaches and players routinely trust the crews with inside information such as starting lineups, inactives and gameplan details.

Feb 9, 2025; New Orleans, LA, USA; Fox Sports announcer Tom Brady on the field before Super Bowl LIX between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs at Ceasars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Owner of divisional rival

That means an owner of Kansas City’s division rival – who’s entering the second season of a 10-year, $375 million contract with the network -- will now have the opportunity to acquire that information in advance of games Brady works for FOX.

But put aside any conflict-of-interest or competitive-advantage objections. Yes, meeting with the network is a requirement for anyone FOX requests in the hours before kickoff with the Eagles, but the Chiefs can be careful with what they share. While Brady controls the questions, Reid, Mahomes and the Chiefs control their answers.

So, Mahomes can share any anecdotes or behind-the-scenes information on Travis Kelce, for example, but the quarterback doesn’t need to divulge anything deeper than that.

Aug 26, 2023; Arlington, Texas, USA; Former NFL player Tom Brady (left) speaks with Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones before the game against the Las Vegas Raiders at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

Another Brady Rule still in place

And while the legendary quarterback can now attend production meetings, the Brady Rules as they’re known in league circles still include a prohibition on attending practices. Burkhardt, sideline reporters Erin Andrews and Tom Rinaldi, and respected producer Richie Zyontz will still view the Chiefs practice, most likely on Friday, Sept. 12.

According to Mike Florio, Brady attended the Chiefs’ production meeting with FOX in advance of their Super Bowl 59 loss to the Eagles last season in New Orleans. And earlier in the season, the Buffalo Bills told the league they didn’t mind Brady attending a production meeting, but the league declined.

Whether Brady can enter another team’s facility or hotel is uncertain. The only game in which FOX is scheduled to broadcast a Chiefs game is the Week 2 Super Bowl rematch against the Eagles.

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