The 2026 Pro Bowl Games continued a worrying trend for the league, drawing an average of only 2.0 million viewers on ESPN in its new Tuesday timeslot, according to Sports Media Watch. That's a 59.6% drop from last year's record low viewership of 4.7 million.

Brady unintentionally triggered a backlash from multiple former Patriots teammates on Monday, when he declared "I don't have a dog in the fight, may the best team win" in the upcoming Super Bowl between the Patriots and Seattle Seahawks.