The Washington Commanders open against the New York Giants at 1 p.m. ET on September 7 on FOX. On the call will be Kevin Burkhardt and Tom Brady, who is entering his second season as the network’s lead analyst—and is also a minority owner of the Las Vegas Raiders, a team Washington will face later this season.
That overlap is why reporter Ben Standig asked head coach Dan Quinn on September 5 how he handles production meetings when Brady is in the room. Quinn’s response offered fans a rare look at how coaches balance access and secrecy.
Quinn on Balancing Access and Secrecy
Production meetings are designed to provide broadcasters with the background they need to call the game, including injury context, matchups to watch, and storylines that help fans at home. Quinn made clear that the information he gives is always contained to that week.
“Yeah, it’s unique for sure, but they have a job to do, too, so I get that,” Quinn said. ” That’s our responsibility — to help them, give some insights into what could be there for the game. So it’s really just for this game, you know? That’s what I think about. Not just because Tom’s calling it and his relationship, obviously, with the Raiders, but really every game. Because really it’s just: what do you have to do to win this game? The information here wouldn’t be applied to another team in that way.”
For Quinn, anything he shares about the Giants is designed to live and die with Week 1. The details that help FOX tell Sunday’s story won’t exactly be the same when Washington lines up against the Raiders in Week 3.
Why Brady’s Role Stands Out
Brady is in his second year as FOX’s top analyst, but his Raiders stake means he’s connected to a franchise that will eventually line up opposite Washington. According to The Athletic, the NFL formally approved the arrangement in August 2025 after reviewing potential conflicts, and FOX executives have said safeguards are in place to keep Brady’s roles separate.
That approval process was meant to settle questions like the one Quinn fielded. Coaches are expected to give broadcasters useful insight, but as Quinn stressed, the conversations are week-to-week and never drift into long-term strategy.
What Quinn highlighted is the tightrope coaches walk every week. Networks want details to make the telecast sharper, but teams can’t afford to hand over tendencies or future plans.
Quinn’s approach reflects that balance. Everything is about the specific opponent—in this case, the Giants. He’ll give Brady and Burkhardt context that helps the broadcast, but the philosophy doesn’t change just because one of the analysts also owns a piece of another NFL team.
The Bigger Picture
The real takeaway isn’t that Quinn shrugs off Brady’s dual role — it’s how he frames production meetings as part of the weekly chess match. Broadcasters get just enough to add context for viewers, but nothing that survives past kickoff. That makes Brady’s situation more curious than controversial: he may sit in the production room before gameday, but Quinn is confident he’ll walk out with nothing the Raiders can use when Washington faces them later this season.
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