Is Tom Brady Stealing the Spotlight From Drake Maye and Jordan Love?

Is Tom Brady stealing the spotlight from Drake Maye and Jordan Love ahead of the New England Patriots vs. Green Bay Packers game?

That question is dominating the conversation in Foxborough this week.

Tom Brady returns to Gillette Stadium on Sunday to call his first Patriots game for Fox Sports.

The seven-time Super Bowl champion will be in the broadcast booth, not on the field.

He will work alongside Kevin Burkhardt for the 4:25 p.m. ET late-window matchup.

Both the Patriots and the Packers enter the game with identical 5-3 records.

Drake Maye leads the Patriots at quarterback.

Jordan Love leads the Packers at quarterback.

Yet the loudest talk this week centers squarely on the man in the booth.

Fox Sports pushed Brady’s homecoming hard in its promotional material.

ESPN’s Chris Russo pushed back even harder.

On First Take, Russo called the hype “the dumbest thing in the world.”

“The idea now that this is a big deal that Tom’s in the booth and he’s doing the game… Who the hell cares?” Russo said.

“Call the game on the moon! I mean, this is the dumbest thing in the world.”

Russo also made clear that none of this is Brady’s fault.

Brady himself acknowledges the moment carries emotional weight.

“It’ll be certainly emotional,” he told Colin Cowherd.

He says he wants to talk about the organization, not himself.

This is not Brady’s first return to Foxborough since leaving the Patriots.

He came back as a Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback on Oct. 3, 2021.

He returned for the 2023 opener against the Philadelphia Eagles.

He had his Patriots Hall of Fame ceremony in June 2024.

His statue was unveiled in August 2025.

Sunday still feels different, according to multiple reports.

It marks the first time since he joined Fox Sports in 2024 that he will call a Patriots game in Foxborough.

Drake Maye, the Patriots’ current starting quarterback, took the visit in stride.

“What a legend to come back here, and it’s definitely cool for him, I bet, to come back and call a game in the stadium where he won so many games and was a legend in this stadium,” Maye said Wednesday.

He doubts he will even get to speak with Brady before kickoff because of Brady’s role with the Las Vegas Raiders.

Brady is a minority owner of the Raiders.

The debate boils down to a question of priorities.

Russo argues that two playoff-hungry teams deserve top billing.

Fox also has a financial interest in making the broadcast a major event.

Brady signed a 10-year, $375 million contract with Fox Sports in 2022.

The deal began in 2024 after his retirement from playing.

Brady’s presence in the booth guarantees massive ratings.

But it also risks overshadowing the players actually competing.

Maye, a first-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, is in his second season.

Love, a first-round pick in 2020, is in his third season as Green Bay’s starter.

Both quarterbacks are trying to lead their teams to the playoffs.

The Patriots and Packers both sit at 5-3, tied for competitive positions in their respective conferences.

The game itself carries real stakes for the AFC and NFC playoff races.

Yet the pregame narrative has been dominated by a retired player.

Brady won six Super Bowls with the Patriots over 20 seasons.

He won a seventh with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2020.

His legacy in New England is unmatched.

But the current Patriots roster is built around young players like Maye.

The current Packers roster is built around Love.

The question is whether the media and the league are giving those players the attention they deserve.

Russo’s blunt assessment captured the frustration of some fans and analysts.

Others see Brady’s return as a celebration of the franchise’s history.

Brady himself has tried to deflect the focus.

“It’ll be a great environment, a great atmosphere, a great game,” he said.

He emphasized that the game is about the two teams competing.

But the promotional machine around his return has been relentless.

Fox Sports has aired multiple segments previewing the broadcast.

Social media has been flooded with clips of Brady’s greatest Patriots moments.

Some fans are excited to hear Brady’s analysis of the current team.