Tom Brady insisted that his playing days in the NFL are over in a recent interview. After retiring and unretiring in 2022, he is standing by his 2023 retirement and is already making plans for his future in football and beyond.

“I’m certain I’m not playing again, so I’ve tried to make that clear and I hate to continue to profess that, cause I’ve already told people that lots of times,” Brady told Sports Illustrated.

Though Brady said that he has no intention of returning to the field, he does not wish to step away from football altogether. Instead, the future Hall-of-Fame quarterback said that he has an intense interest to become a part-owner of the Las Vegas Raiders.

This deal with the Raiders was what sparked rumors of another potential comeback bid, but Brady roundly rejected the speculation, stating that his ambitions extended well beyond his abilities as a player. He said that he intends to maintain a presence in football for the “next 45 years,” referring to his future as a personality and investor.

According to Raiders owner Mark Davis, Brady joined Las Vegas’ ownership group last week and is now awaiting approval from the league. In order to officially become a part-owner, 24 team owners must approve in a formal vote.

“I’m looking forward to the opportunity I have with the Raiders,” Brady said. “We’re in the process of that, along with the other different things that I’m a part of professionally. And in my personal life, just spending as much time with my kids as I can. And seeing them grow up, and support the different things that they have going on. That’s a very important job.”

In addition to his new deal with the Raiders, Brady is also expected to begin work as a Fox Sports broadcaster in 2024. He reportedly signed a 10-year, $375 million deal with the network.

In the push to bring sports back in the past month, there will be a lot of experimentation – and clunkiness to be expected as broadcasts adjust to the new viewer experience. The latest attempt at innovation has come from Fox Sports which says that they intend to virtually add fans to the MLB games that they will be broadcasting over the next few weeks.

I have mixed feelings about this, but I do think that it is worth a shot.

I believe that his idea – and any other idea really – is a better option than those creepy fan cutouts that have been seen at some games. Overall, it feels disingenuous and takes away from the reality of the game – whether it be fake crowd noise or digitally added fans.

Cris Carter, the Pro Football Hall of Fame wide receiver, is out at Fox Sports.

The news was announced Thursday. The 53-year-old former wideout, who joined Fox Sports in 2016, has been off the air since Oct. 30. The network did not give an official reason for Carter’s departure, although Front Office Sports reporter Michael McCarthy said the Hall of Famer was taking a leave of absence after engaging in a spat with his superiors at Fox Sports about his lack of involvement in the channel’s NFL coverage.

Carter began his tenure at Fox Sports on the network’s morning show, First Things First, alongside Nick Wright two years ago. On Thursday morning, the Hall of Famer shared a Bible verse in a tweet, although it is unknown whether this relates to his exit from Fox Sports in any way.

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No replacement has yet been named for Carter. Former New York Giants lineman Chris Canty has filled in for the former receiver since his departure alongside Wright and Jenna Wolfe. 

Carter was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2013 following a 12-year career in the NFL, most of which he spent with the Minnesota Vikings. Over the course of his career, Carter logged 1,101 receptions and 130 touchdowns to place him in the top-five in league history in both categories. He was also an eight-time Pro Bowler and a Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year.

Carter also previously had stints on HBO Sports’ Inside the NFL and ESPN’s Sunday NFL Countdown. 

This was among the videos of Carter that began circulating on Twitter following Fox Sports’ announcement of his departure:

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Peyton Manning held a large stake in Papa John’s Pizza up until recently, but now he has done away with it.

Peyton Manning Papa John’s locations sales news

The ex-football star sold his shares in 31 Colorado Papa John’s stores.

Manning — who will be 42 later this month — played for the Broncos for four years before winning the Super Bowl after the 2015 season and then retiring. The five-time NFL MVP bough the Papa John’s stores in 2012 as part of a six-year joint venture with Papa John’s International, company spokesman Peter Collins stated. Manning appeared in several of the chain’s commercials during football games.

Papa John’s and the NFL described the decision to end their sponsorship deal — which began in 2010 — as “mutual,” although many are skeptical of this. The relationship between the two suffered after company founder John Schnatter blamed national anthem protests by some NFL players for the decline of his firm’s pizza sales. Schnatter said the league had “poor leadership” and that the issue of anthem demonstrations should have been dealt with shortly after Colin Kaepernick began the action in August 2016.

The company’s stock plummeted and Schnatter apologized less than two weeks after that. Papa John’s released a statement saying, while it believes Americans “should honor the anthem,” it supports “the players’ movement to create a new platform for change.” By December, Schnatter had stepped down as head of the company. Pizza Hut is now the NFL’s official pizza.

Despite all this, Manning will reportedly still serve as a pitchman and brand ambassador for Papa John’s.

Manning has also been rumored to become a football analyst for a major network, and several reports from this week have been suggesting he could land major deals with a network. Fox Sports and ESPN are reportedly so keen on getting the former QB to call their respective “Thursday Night Football” and “Monday Night Football” games that they’re prepared to pay him up to $10 million annually.

Nevertheless, both ESPN and Fox are looking to boost viewership after ratings fell substantially during the 2017 season.

Manning could also end up becoming a part-owner of an NFL team. Time will surely tell what lies ahead for the beloved QB.

LOS ANGELES, CA – JULY 12: Host Peyton Manning speaks onstage at The 2017 ESPYS at Microsoft Theater on July 12, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

Peyton Manning may have retired from football two years ago, but he has continued to find ways to entertain himself and fans — one way is by driving the pace car for NASCAR’s season-opening Daytona 500.

Peyton Manning Daytona 500 interview news

The former MVP quarterback gave a rather hilarious interview to FOX Sports on Sunday while driving around the same track as some of the fastest stock cars in the world.

“I’ve never been sideways before,” said Manning as he drove around one of the turns.

“I didn’t realize these guys were going to be quite so close to me,” Manning said with a laugh. “What a cool environment to be a part of.”

Austin Dillon ended up winning the event at Daytona International Speedway, the first Daytona 500 victory of his career. Bubba Wallace and Denny Hamlin filled out the podium.

Manning has been known for his humor before: he has appeared in several quirky commercials with NationWide Insurance and Papa John’s Pizza, and recently voiced a character (a bull named Guapo!) in the Golden Globe and Oscar-nominated animated film Ferdinand. 

The two-time Super Bowl champion also showed off his comedic chops by delivering a set at the Comedy Central Roast of Rob Lowe in 2016. Manning ripped the former brat pack and West Wing actor for falsely reporting his retirement from the NFL in a tweet in 2012.

Manning made news last week, as he is reportedly being pursued by both ESPN and FOX to be part of their coverage team for the 2018 NFL season. ESPN is hoping to fill the vacancy left by Jon Gruden, who left as a Monday Night Football analyst to become the next head coach of the Oakland Raiders.

Fans would likely love the idea of Manning returning to the NFL scene as a commentator.

LOS ANGELES, CA – JULY 12: Host Peyton Manning speaks onstage at The 2017 ESPYS at Microsoft Theater on July 12, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

Longtime broadcaster and current FOX Sports NFL and MLB announcer Joe Buck seems to be in the final years of his career.

Fox Sports Broadcaster Joe Buck Hints At Retirement After 2019 World Series

Speaking to Tim McKernan of The Morning After Podcast last week, Buck revealed his contract will expire after the 2019 World Series. He then plans to spend more time with his family.

“I love it, but I’ve been doing it for a long time and I feel like somebody else should do it. I’ve done enough,” said Buck, who’ll turn 48 in April. “I’m signed for three more World Series, and that’ll be 22, which is stupid to even think about. If somebody said right now, before I walk outta here, you’re done, I’ve had the greatest career, miles beyond anything I could have ever dreamed.

“But I would like to get some of my time back and be at home, be in St. Louis, be with my wife and watch my kids, even though they’re 20 and 17, and doing their own thing. I’ve been gone a lot this year, and I’m not crying about it. I love it. But I need to take stuff out.”

 Under the tutelage of his father, legendary sportscaster Jack Buck, Joe became the youngest (25) broadcaster to announce an NFL game in 1994.

While working on local television and KMOX Radio, he called his first Cardinals’ game in 1991.

Except for the 1997 and 1999 editions of the World Series, which were broadcast by NBC, Buck has been in the booth for every Fall Classic since 1996.

 His career will surely go down as one of the most memorable in all of sports history.

 BEVERLY HILLS, CA – NOVEMBER 21: Sportscaster Joe Buck attends Goldie Hawn’s inaugural ‘Love In For Kids’ benefiting the Hawn Foundation’s MindUp program transforming children’s lives for greater success at Ron Burkle’s Green Acres Estate on November 21, 2014 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Jason Merritt/Getty Images for The Hawn Foundation)

Peter Schrager, who has been FOX Sports’ sideline reporter for the past few Detroit Lions games, said Tuesday that he has been really impressed with Matthew Stafford, and even added, “Matt Stafford could be the best quarterback in football.”

FOX Sports Analyst Peter Schrager Says Lions’ Matt Stafford Is One Of Best QBs In NFL

Schrager discussed his opinion on “Good Morning Football.”

The Lions (3-3) defeated the Los Angeles Rams 31-28. Detroit will next host the Washington Redskins on Sunday.

Despite Schrager’s opinion, statistics appear to suggest Stafford may not actually be as good as many other NFL quarterbacks this season, as the Detroit Free Press’s Dave Birkett tweeted:

Stafford has completed 146-of-212 passes for 1,648 yards this season, with 14 TD and four interceptions. His quarterback rating is 106.0 (third in the NFL), far above his career mark of 86.9.

In other Lions news, offensive lineman Brian Mihalik was on the Lions’ practice squad, but the Pittsburgh Steelers signed him to their active 53-man roster on Tuesday morning.

Schrager says Stafford is excelling despite the Lions’ limitations at other offensive positions.

“This is the youngest offensive line in Detroit since 1979,” he says. “It’s all first-, second- or third-year guys.

“The running back situation: Ameer Abdullah, down. Theo Riddick, down. Dwayne Washington, down.”