If there was any question whether Mark Sanchez could retain his Fox role amidst his legal issues, they would appear to be answered by the company’s apparent hire of Drew Brees.
Fox Sports has hired Drew Brees as an NFL game analyst starting a week from Sunday, Andrew Marchand of The Athletic reported Wednesday. According to Marchand, Brees is expected to fill the vacancy left by Sanchez alongside play-by-play voice Adam Amin.
Sanchez has not appeared on FOX since he was arrested last month following a bizarre late night confrontation in Indianapolis, where he was in town to call a Raiders-Colts game. He faces multiple charges — including one felony — stemming from that incident, which resulted in him being stabbed and hospitalized. Sanchez, who has pleaded not guilty to the criminal charges, also faces a lawsuit from the alleged victim in the case. It is hard to imagine any circumstance where he returns to the broadcast booth before those cases are resolved.
As for Brees, the Fox deal — which per Marchand will last through at least next season — is his biggest step toward rebuilding a broadcasting career that flamed out after just one season calling games. Brees signed with NBC Sports in 2020 while still an active player, joining the company immediately following his 2021 retirement. He primarily called Notre Dame football games during his rookie season, but was seen as a potential heir to the lead “Sunday Night Football” analyst spot held by Cris Collinsworth.
But after Brees turned in a widely criticized performance on an NBC Wild Card playoff game at the end of that 2021 season, the bloom quickly went off the rose. NBC re-signed Collinsworth to a long-term role and did not retain Brees, who ultimately left broadcasting despite interest from Amazon and Fox — the latter seeking a replacement for lead analyst Troy Aikman.
In the years since, Brees has made no secret of his desire to return to broadcasting or his confidence that he can be one of the league’s top-level TV analysts. He joined the Netflix studio show for last year’s Christmas Day NFL games and will return this season as a game analyst. In addition, he began a new role this fall as a contributor to the ESPN morning debate show “First Take.”
