Fox Sports Reportedly Decides on Mark Sanchez's Replacement

Fox Sports may have found a permanent replacement for NFL analyst Mark Sanchez, one month after the former quarterback was arrested for his alleged role in an altercation that led to his stabbing.

Drew Brees will make his debut in the booth for FOX this weekend in a move that "could mean that the embattled Mark Sanchez is done at the network," wrote Andrew Marchand of The Athletic on Wednesday.

Brees is reportedly slated to work alongside play-by-play man Adam Amin, who had been Sanchez's partner.

Marchand added that Brees will work games for FOX the rest of this season and is signed through at least 2026.

Brees returning to the booth

After retiring from the NFL following the 2020 season, Brees joined NBC as a game analyst for Notre Dame football during the 2021 campaign. However, the 13-time Pro Bowler and Super Bowl XLIV champion was a disappointment on the mic, and left the network in May 2022.

Despite the early career setback, Brees has dipped his toe back into broadcasting as a member of studio shows at FOX and ESPN, and he called the international feed of Netflix's Christmas Day broadcast in 2024.

This year, Brees has been bumped up to the domestic broadcast for the streaming service's Dec. 25 doubleheader.

Sanchez has been sidelined since bizarre incident, stabbing

On the night of Friday, Oct. 4, Sanchez, 38, was involved in a confrontation with a delivery truck driver in the alley way outside of a bar in downtown Indianapolis. The former USC star was in town to call that weekend's game between the Indianapolis Colts and Las Vegas Raiders, and he was replaced on the broadcast by Brady Quinn.

The fight between Sanchez and Perry Tole, 69, led to both men being hospitalized, with Sanchez needing surgery after being stabbed. However, only Sanchez was arrested, as Tole contends he only stabbed the onetime New York Jets signal caller in self-defense because he feared for his life.

Sanchez, who “appeared intoxicated” and “instigated a confrontation," according to an ensuing lawsuit from Tole, was originally charged with battery with injury, unlawful entry of a motor vehicle, and public intoxication, all misdemeanors.

However, a felony charge of battery involving a serious bodily injury, a Level 5 offense, was later added. The charge carries a potential jail sentence of one-to-six years.

Tole reportedly suffered “significant injuries to his head, jaw, and neck” and is suing Sanchez and FOX for punitive and compensatory damages.