A familiar face is set to join the “Fox NFL Sunday” crew in a full-time capacity.
Former star tight end Rob Gronkowski will be replacing longtime analyst and former Cowboys coach Jimmy Johnson on the pregame show, the network announced Friday.
Johnson, 82, announced he was retiring from the show in March after 31 years with the program.
Gronkowski has made guest appearances on “Fox NFL Sunday” in the past, but never in a full-time capacity.
The longtime Patriots star will join host Curt Menefee and Hall of Famers Terry Bradshaw, Howie Long and Michael Strahan on the show, along with NFL insider Jay Glazer.
Bradshaw and Long have been with the show since its inception in 1993.
Gronkowski, widely considered one of the greatest tight ends of all time, won four Super Bowls with Tom Brady — three with the Patriots and one with the Buccaneers.
He’s also a five-time Pro-Bowler and a four-time All-Pro selection.
The 36-year-old first got involved with Fox after his initial retirement in 2018, making his on-air debut on “Fox NFL Thursday” and appearing on Fox programming throughout the 2019 season.
He then un-retired and played two more seasons with Brady in Tampa Bay.
He got back into the media space after his official retirement, co-hosting the 2022 Kids’ Choice Awards with Miranda Cosgrove and co-hosting Fox’s New Year’s Eve show with Steve Harvey in 2024.
Gronkowski also made occasional appearances on Fox’s NFL programming.
In his new role, Gronkowski will also be able to call Brady a colleague once again, since the legendary quarterback is a game analyst with Fox’s NFL coverage.
Brady, as part of Fox’s top broadcasting team with play-by-play announcer Kevin Burkhardt and sideline reporters Erin Andrews and Tom Rinaldi, will have the call for the Week 1 clash between the Commanders and Giants on Sept. 7, Fox Sports’ press release Friday also revealed.
