J.J. Watt’s CBS promotion cranks up rivalry with FOX’s Tom Brady amid $269m fight for Premier League

J.J. Watt’s rivalry with Tom Brady has gone international.

During their playing days, Brady’s New England Patriots went 6-2 against the three-time Defensive Player of the Year’s Houston Texans.

Alamy

Few offenses found an answer for Watt, but the future Hall of Famer admitted Bill Belichick‘s Pats were always a step ahead.

“It’s really frustrating, especially when you’re going against a mind like coach [Belichick] and a quarterback like Tom because you can do whatever you want on our side — we’ll try and disguise things all week long,” he told the Let’s Go podcast in 2024.

“Tom just comes up, he makes a check, he knows exactly where he wants to go to the ball and then fires it over there. And all you did all week is for nothing.

“And it’s frustrating and it’s so annoying.”

NFL Weekly Newsletter - SIGN UP!

talkSPORT is your home for NFL in the UK as we launch our biggest year of coverage yet!

2026 promises to be an epic year for NFL on talkSPORT – and we want you to join us for the ride.

SIGN UP HERE!

This season will be our biggest ever with live commentary of 90+ games, including behind-the-scenes access to international games and all three London fixtures, plus bumper coverage of Super Bowl 61 at SoFi Stadium.

Exclusive interviews, hard-hitting opinion, latest front-office drama and top breaking news – all delivered straight to your inbox each week.

J.J. Watt and Tom Brady in rival No. 1 booths

Watt is riding high after being announced as Tony Romo’s replacement as color commentator on CBS Sports’ No. 1 team.

Having joined the network in 2023, the Texans icon has been promoted to work alongside play-by-play icon Jim Nantz, sideline reporter Tracy Wolfson and producer Jim Rikhoff for the upcoming 2026 NFL season.

“Haven’t said much because it’s not the circumstances you’d hope it would happen under, but I’m incredibly excited about this opportunity,” the 37-year-old wrote on X having seen Romo’s arrest open up a spot.

That, of course, puts him in direct competition with Brady, who is on FOX Sports’ crack team.

Brady is in his third year alongside Kevin Burkhardt, Erin Andrews and Tom Rinaldi, as well as producer Richie Zyontz.

Watt’s CBS salary has not been revealed, and he may be due a bump, but it is unlikely he can challenge Brady’s $375 million deal over 10 years.

The Texans icon may have to take revenge on the field, with his Burnley set to host Brady’s Birmingham City on November 25.

Getty

Tom Brady and J.J. Watt fighting for lucrative Premier League berth

The future Hall of Famers both took an interest in a different kind of football in 2023, expanding their portfolios overseas with stakes in English soccer teams.

Watt took a minority share of Premier League-bound Burnley in 2023, the same year as his long-time foe came aboard at Championship rivals Birmingham City, who finished 17th.

Both experienced relegation the following season, with Burnley returning to the second tier and Birmingham falling into League One.

In the upcoming season, Brady and Watt find themselves in the Championship again.

Burnley (3/1) and Birmingham (4/1) are both expected to be in the promotion race and with eight playoff places up for grabs, could end up standing in each other’s way in the race for a prize worth an estimated £200 million ($269 million).

Watt, who is married to former USWNT international Kealia, has played an active role since becoming involved with the Clarets, boosting the club’s international profile and even designing the new away kit and appearing in the reveal video.

NFL's Greatest......

Ranking the top 10......

Quarterbacks of all-time – Can anyone better Tom Brady?

Wide receivers of all-time – Does Randy Moss or Jerry Rice come out on top?

Running backs of all-time – Stacking Jim Brown, Barry Sanders, Walter Payton, Emmitt Smith and more

Tight ends of all-time – How does Travis Kelce compare?

“From day one, I didn’t want this to be just another football shirt. I wanted to create something quintessentially Burnley,” he said. “Every decision we made started with one question: Are we doing the supporters of this club proud?

“As I’ve said many times before, this club existed long before I arrived and it will exist long after I’m gone.

“But during this time, my goal is to help honor its great past while also shepherding it to a brighter future.”

Brady has taken a less forward-facing role, although he did poke fun at fellow U.S. soccer owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney after the Blues — run by American hedge fund manager Tom Wagner –beat Wrexham last season.

The seven-time Super Bowl champion is a busy man thanks to his involvement with the Las Vegas Raiders, who share a similar offseason.

But it is hard not to see influence from across the pond in the plans for a dramatic new 62,000-capacity multi-purpose stadium.

The £3 billion ($4 billion) design includes 12 industrial-style brick chimneys, a retractable roof and will be the biggest stadium in the Midlands when it opens in 2030.

Two working class clubs in England’s industrial heartlands both have a very American dream with owners finding a new way to settle scores.