Drew Brees is heading to NBC once he’s done with the New Orleans Saints.
The New York Post reported Friday that NBC Sports has signed Brees effective at the end of his playing career, at which point he will serve as a Notre Dame game analyst and appear on the Football Night in America studio show.
Per the Post, Brees will be “groomed” as the eventual replacement for NBC’s lead NFL analyst Cris Collinsworth. Alternatively, he could serve as the analyst for a second NFL package on NBC if the network is able to acquire one.
ESPN had been in pursuit of Brees in the hopes of moving him to its Monday Night Football booth.
Brees is part of a growing generation of NFL players who moved directly from the playing field to prominent on-air positions. The most notable of the group is Tony Romo, who just signed the richest contract in TV sports history earlier this year.
Romo’s Cowboys teammate Jason Witten went straight from retirement to an ill-fated stint on MNF. Jay Cutler would have gone from the field to the #2 FOX booth, but elected to unretire before he called a single game.
[News from NYP 4.10]
