Tom Brady
Jason Getz | USA TODAY Sports

Tom Brady is going to make more money talking about the NFL than playing in it.

The seven-time Super Bowl champion will get a 10-year, $375 million contract to be FOX’s lead NFL analyst upon his retirement, according to The Post’s Andrew Marchand. It’s the largest payday for an NFL broadcaster ever, more than doubling what Tony Romo gets from CBS. It’s also significantly more than the projected $332 million in career earnings Brady will have after the 2022 season with the Buccaneers, according to Spotrac.

Yes, Brady’s business value to FOX undoubtedly drove his price up. And yes, he was underpaid for many years with the Patriots, so his career earnings are smaller than they should be. Still, Brady did not just reset the market — he blew it up. This astronomical deal will change everything. Imagine what Peyton Manning will now command if he ever works as a traditional analyst. Or how much someone will inevitably shell out to Patrick Mahomes in a decade or so when he decides it’s time to make the transition.

The big question now is how FOX bridges the gap between today’s big announcement and Brady’s actual retirement — a period that could last one season or several seasons.

Greg Olsen was considered the in-house favorite to stick with new No. 1 play-by-player Kevin Burkhardt and join the A-team. And he’s still FOX’s best option for 2022 by all accounts. But will he want to be a year-to-year placeholder? If he is not on board with that, things will get interesting.

FOX will broadcast two of the next three Super Bowls, including this coming season. They probably figure Brady will be in the booth for the second one, but they likely need to get through the next one without him first. If Olsen isn’t an option — and this may all be a moot point because it’s hard to turn down a Super Bowl assignment even with the awkward circumstances — FOX doesn’t have a great bench to pick from.

Daryl Johnston and Mark Schlereth are serviceable regular season analysts, but neither seems deserving of a Super Bowl booth. Recent studio hire Sean Payton could be a dark horse, but he may very well have a new coaching job by then. Charles Davis would have been a no-brainer before he left for CBS. Maybe Joel Klatt gets promoted from FOX’s lead college football team? Or how about an inter-network trade! Start the bidding at a Troy Aikman one-day-only comeback in return for the Ohio State-Michigan game on ABC in 2023.

James Kratch can be reached at [email protected]

James Kratch is the managing editor of ESNY. He previously worked as a Rutgers and Giants (and Mike Francesa) beat reporter for NJ Advance Media.