Even before his sudden absence from Fox NFL Sunday over the weekend, Terry Bradshaw acknowledged that the end of his TV career is in sight.
On the first episode of the 2025 season in September, Bradshaw, 77, referenced his own pending retirement while addressing the departure of longtime cohost Jimmy Johnson from the beloved football morning show.
“Jimmy is not with us any more – he’s retired now,” Bradshaw said.
Johnson, 82, had been a cohost on Fox NFL Sunday since 2002. He was also behind the desk for the first two seasons of the show in 1994 and 1995. The legendary former NFL head coach was replaced by Patriots great Rob Gronkowski.
“Gronk is in instead so that means in age difference we save about 60 years,” Bradshaw said of the 36-year-old Gronkowski. “This group has all of a sudden got younger. And that gives me another two years.”
Bradshaw’s contract with Fox Sports expires in two years, which he also addressed in an interview during Super Bowl LIX media days in February.
“I told my wife before I left the hotel room, I was sitting there, I said, ‘I’ve got two years left at Fox. I’m 76,’” Bradshaw told Denver’s 104.3 The Fan. “It’s a young man’s game. I get that. Everybody wants their new [people].”
However, Bradshaw hinted that he’d like to stay onboard until Fox hosts the Super Bowl again in 2029.
“I said, if we can get to the next Super Bowl, I’ll be 80,” he added. “I think that’s time. That’s pushing it.”
In 2023, Bradshaw took a decidedly more morbid approach to things when asked how long he’d like to stay on air.
“I told Fox, if I could just die on the show — think about the ratings, right?” Bradshaw said at Super Bowl LVII media days. “I mean, are we not about ratings? That’d be huge.”
Bradshaw concerned fans when he did not appear on the long-running football morning show on Sunday, November 16.
“Terry Bradshaw is not with us,” Fox NFL Sunday host Curt Menefee said on the broadcast. “He came to work sick this morning, so he decided to go home. He’s not feeling well. We send him our love.”
Cohost Howie Long added, “We miss you, man!”
Bradshaw, who has cohosted Fox NFL Sunday since the show premiered in 1994, was quick to address his absence on social media.
“Just in case you notice, won’t be on Fox today,” the NFL Hall of Famer shared via Instagram. “Just have a cold. All good.”
Bradshaw is still scheduled to attend a book signing event for his new cookbook, The Bradshaw Family Cookbook, in McKinney, Texas, on Tuesday, November 18.
Earlier this month, Bradshaw revealed that he’s currently in the planning stages of expanding his television footprint thanks to his love of food.
“We’re in the process of doing a TV show on Fox Nation, and it’s a cooking show,” Bradshaw said on the “Nothing Left Unsaid” podcast on Wednesday, November 12. “I think it’s four segments they’re gonna give us to see if it’s any good.”
Bradshaw is expected to return to Fox NFL Sunday when it hits the air on Sunday, November 23.
