Report: Drew Brees set to join Fox Sports as full-time NFL game analyst

Former QB Drew Brees is returning to the broadcast booth, this time with Fox Sports, according to The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand. He’s expected to take the place of Mark Sanchez, per the report.

Marchand reported it’s no guarantee that Sanchez is gone from Fox Sports, but this move signals that it could be the end for the former USC and NFL QB. Sanchez was recently hospitalized due to a stabbing in Indianapolis but later arrested on a felony battery charge.

Brees has recently been spotted on ESPN as a contributor to First Take, giving this thoughts on the latest news and state of the league. He has previous booth experience, serving as a color analyst for NBC for just one season in 2021 for Notre Dame games alongside Mike Tirico. He was criticized for subpar broadcasting, particularly in the playoffs, when he was put on an NFL playoff game.

Marchand reported Brees is expected to begin his new gig with Fox a week from Sunday, but his exact game assignment is not known yet. But he is set to work for the rest of the season and will serve as a color analyst through the 2026 season. Brees is expected to team with play-by-play man Adam Amin, who was partnered with Sanchez.

Brees joins the likes of Tom Brady and Greg Olsen as the one-two-three punch at Fox, as Marchand puts it. Currently, Brees is also set to call Netflix’s Christmas Day NFL game stream on the domestic broadcast. He did the international feed for Netflix last year.

“Fox has pursued Brees since the former quarterback’s breakup with NBC,” Marchand wrote. “Before Brady signed a 10-year, $375 million contract, Fox considered Brees for its No. 2 game analyst position, with Olsen in the top spot.”

Brees was a second round draft pick out of Purdue by the then-San Diego Chargers in 2001. He played for the team through 2005 before signing a free agent deal with the New Orleans Saints. There, he turned into the future Hall of Fame QB he’s known to be today.

Brees was a two-time AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year, won Super Bowl XLVI during the 2009 season and retired with numerous NFL records. As it stands, Brees is second all-time in passing yards (80,358) to Brady (89,214) and second in touchdowns (571), also to Brady (649).