When the news broke that Tom Brady signed a massive 10-year, $375 million deal with FOX after he decides to retire from football, it was safe to say it shocked everyone, including the man who was expected to take over the No. 1 analyst spot from Troy Aikman.
In an appearance on The Adam Schefter Podcast, Greg Olsen, despite not necessarily liking the news, appreciated the network for being upfront with him and giving him the opportunity to remain with FOX and hold down the fort until Brady retires.
During the offseason, Olsen and his previous partner in 2021, Kevin Burkhardt, were emerging as the leading candidates to take over the No. 1 booth at FOX following Joe Buck and Aikman's departure to ESPN. While Burkhardt got the promotion, Olsen was left in limbo.
"It was just a long offseason of speculation and rumor and reports of who was going to get the job," Olsen told Schefter while at his annual Tight End University camp in Charlotte. "We always knew we were in the mix. We [Olsen and Burkhardt] weren’t exactly sure who else was in the mix. We had some conversations over the winter.”
“When the Brady news broke, we weren’t exactly sure what that meant. We weren’t exactly sure where we fit into that picture. To FOX’s credit, they were super upfront and they called us and they said this was too good of an opportunity to pass up, but we would love you and Kevin to be back together again and call this year as the A crew and call the best game that we have.”
While he [and the rest of the public] doesn't know when Brady will hang em' up, he's very appreciative that the network is allowing him to pair back up with Burkhardt.
“It’s a great opportunity for me to do it. I don’t know if it’s going to be one year or two years. For the time being, I’m going to go out there and try to have a great year and give people a fun broadcast.”
Olsen being a part of the No. 1 broadcast team on the network means he will call the Super Bowl in 2023, something the former Pro Bowler said was always a dream of his.
“I always dreamed and I always aspired and I told the folks at FOX from the beginning, listen, I’m getting into this because one day I want to call the top game, I want to aspire to call Super Bowls and playoff games and what-not, but I understand there’s a little bit of a process involved in growing into that….Never in a million years did I think in Year 2 I would get an opportunity to call a Super Bowl.”
Whether Olsen sticks around at FOX or not, his in-game commentary is solid. Whenever Brady decides to join the network, I'm sure Olsen would have no problems finding a new home whether it be in the booth or in a studio.
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