What does the future hold for Bill Belichick and Tom Brady in football media? Here’s one perspective.

This is the first season in Tom Brady's 10-year, $375 million deal to be Fox's No. 1 analyst.Gareth Patterson/Associated Press

Want a bold and slightly reckless sports media prediction for the new year ahead?

Well, too bad, you’re getting one.

We know that this is the only year that we’re getting both Bill Belichick and Tom Brady as NFL analysts on our screen of choice.

Pure conjecture here, piqued by a spidey-sense honed from 15 years of covering sports media, but I can’t help but wonder if this is the only year either of them will do this.

And if just one of them remains a regular part of NFL programming next season? I’d wager on it being Belichick rather than Brady.

First, Belichick, since we already have a pretty good idea about his 2025 agenda.

After his extraordinary 24-year run with the Patriots ended with his dismissal in January, Belichick took on a half-dozen media gigs, including a thoroughly enjoyable stint nearly every Monday on ESPN’s “ManningCast.”

His coaching hiatus turned out to be for just one season, which surprised no one. His new destination? That surprised just about everyone, outside of his inner circle.

On Thursday, he made it official with the University of North Carolina, where his presence instantly makes the adequate Tar Heels football program one of the most compelling in the nation.

Expect ESPN to saturate its coverage of Belichick and North Carolina in a way similar to what it did when Deion Sanders made Colorado instantly compelling upon his arrival in 2023. Belichick will be an A-block topic on “First Take” and all of the various talking head shows, beyond what his presence means to the ACC Network.

It’s going to be interesting to see how Belichick’s relationship with ESPN plays out. Andrew Carter of the Raleigh News-Observer tweeted Thursday that Bubba Cunningham, North Carolina’s athletic director, told him that Belichick will continue his regular appearances on the “ManningCast” and “The Pat McAfee Show” next season. That makes sense, given the visibility and attention it would bring to the Tar Heels’ program among potential recruits.

ESPN either isn’t certain what the future holds for Belichick on those programs, or is choosing to keep the specifics in-house for now. He is expected to be part of one more “ManningCast” this season, for the network’s broadcast of a wild-card playoff game in January. And sources say the Manning brothers would love to have him back next season and would accommodate his schedule if he can’t come on every week.

Still, it remains to be seen whether the demands of building a college program in the age of name, image, likeness, and the transfer portal will interfere with his availability for broadcast appearances. The hunch here: He still makes appearances on the “ManningCast” over the course of the season, but not as often as he did during this, his gap year from coaching.

Brady’s circumstances are even more interesting. The massive 10-year, $375 million deal he signed with Fox in May 2022 to become their lead game analyst (upon retirement from quarterbacking) officially began this year when he joined Kevin Burkhardt in the No. 1 booth.

Let’s call the reception mixed, even now, nearing the end of the regular season in a year in which Burkhardt and Brady will call the Super Bowl. Brady has struggled to tap into his massive well of information and experience as a seven-time Super Bowl champion to provide insight, or even personal anecdotes, on players that he has played against. In early November, the Ringer’s Bill Simmons noted on his podcast that Brady seemed “overproduced,’’ that he was getting so much advice from people around him that nothing he said felt authentic. Many of his post-play commentary could have been boiled down to, “Gee, isn’t football great, guys?”

He has been better lately. In last Sunday’s thrilling Bills-Rams matchup, he noted bluntly that Los Angeles was exposing Buffalo defensive end A.J. Epenesa over and over again in the run game. He was all over the Bills’ self-defeating clock management late in the Rams’ 44-42 win, noting that Buffalo made a major mistake on offense by using a timeout, preventing it from being able to stop the clock when the Rams got the ball back. He sounded genuinely enthused to be talking about the game as it played out. He seemed to be fighting a cold and his voice — which usually doesn’t project well — was scratchy, which actually worked better for him.

I hope Brady sticks with it, and he has another 300 million or so reasons to do so, but I can’t help but wonder how much longer he will do it. Brady was approved as a limited partner with the Las Vegas Raiders in October, and owner Mark Davis said this past week that he expects Brady to have a “huge” impact on the franchise in time.

Brady’s involvement with the Raiders comes with parameters that are an absolute hindrance to his ability to do the broadcasting job with maximum effectiveness. He is not allowed to watch practices or criticize other teams or game officials. He also is not allowed to attend production meetings with players and coaches, which are a gold mine for information, as NBC’s Cris Collinsworth makes clear with his knowing analysis every Sunday.

I hope Brady sticks with television for a few more years. I’m curious to see if his legendary work ethic will help him become genuinely good at a job that does not at all come naturally. But it can’t be fun to do the job at a disadvantage, and he has to because of his role with the Raiders.

I’m not saying Brady and Fox will part ways long before his contract is up. But after watching Belichick take a job coaching in the ACC, I’m not about to disregard anything right now.

WATCH: The former Patriots coach will be on the sidelines at the University of North Carolina. Will he jump ship if the NFL calls? Columnist Chad Finn weighs in