Fox Sports, given the overwhelming success of lead NFL analyst Greg Olsen in the broadcast booth, may have a difficult decision to make this offseason.
Olsen, who has been paired with play-by-play announcer Kevin Burkhardt for the network’s top NFL broadcasts this season, may be pushed out of the role if Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady retires from the league and begins his job as Fox’s lead NFL analyst, a deal he agreed to in May 2022.
“Listen, we all know the reality,” Olsen said Tuesday morning during an appearance on ESPN 1000 in Chicago. “I know what I signed up for this year. My goal — and I said this before the season even started — my goal was to do the best job that I could, give people a fun listen, give people maybe a little bit of a different perspective and insight into the game, do the best job that I can.
“Listen, If Brady ends up retiring and coming and that’s how everything unfolds, it sucks. But at the end of the day, I’m a big boy. I know what I signed up for. I took a chance on myself. I rolled the dice. Let’s see how it plays out.”
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The deal Brady agreed to in May will reportedly pay him $375 million over 10 years, shattering the record for compensation for an analyst. Tony Romo and Troy Aikman are reportedly receiving $18 million a year, from CBS and ESPN, respectively.
Brady, who will turn 46 in August, is set to become a free agent March 15 when the new league year opens. He just completed his 23rd season in the NFL and led the league in completions (490) and attempts (733), throwing for 4,694 yards with 25 touchdowns against nine interceptions.
In an appearance on SiriusXM’s “Let’s Go!” podcast, Brady was asked by co-host Jim Gray if he had his future plans sorted and he bristled at the question.
“Jim, if I knew what I was going to (expletive) do,” Brady said, “I would’ve already (expletive) done it. I’m taking it a day at a time.”
Olsen, 37, has been with Fox since 2021 after a 14-year career as a tight end in the NFL. Prior to his final season in the NFL, in the spring of 2020, Olsen joined up with Burkhardt in the booth to call five XFL games. He had also served as a studio analyst for Fox’s coverage of Super Bowl LIV.
After Joe Buck and Troy Aikman left Fox last spring for ESPN, Fox announced in May that Burkhardt and Olsen would become the network’s lead group for the 2022 season.
Because Fox has the rights to Super Bowl LVII, Olsen is scheduled to comment Sunday’s NFC Championship Game between the San Francisco 49ers and Philadelphia Eagles before providing analysis for the big game February 12.
“I’m looking forward to calling this game this weekend,” Olsen said. “Hopefully people enjoy as much as they have these last couple of games and then obviously culminates in a few weeks in the Super Bowl. I’m going to enjoy these last couple of weeks; they’ve been busy but they’ve been a blast. I hope Brady signs a five-year deal. I’ll be the first guy there, I’ll give him some cap room to make it work, but we’ll cross that bridge when we get there.”
Contributing: Scooby Axson
Story Credit: usatoday.com