Current:Home > reviewsWhat's next for Greg Olsen with Tom Brady in line to take No. 1 spot on FOX? -ValueCore
What's next for Greg Olsen with Tom Brady in line to take No. 1 spot on FOX?
View
Date:2025-04-26 08:23:00
Greg Olsen accomplished what he set out to do.
His stated goal when he took his first job broadcasting games for NFL on FOX was the same one he harbored as a star tight end for 14 seasons in the league.
"Make it hard as hell for them to replace you," Olsen told NorthJersey.com in a 2022 interview, and he has done just that.
Now the football is in the hands of FOX Sports executives, and there is a strong indication that, even with Olsen’s emergence as the best game analyst in the sport this season, Olsen is about to lose his gig to a broadcasting rookie.
The newbie also happens to be the greatest quarterback of all time.
NFL STATS CENTRAL: The latest NFL scores, schedules, odds, stats and more.
Olsen knew the deal when he was paired with Kevin Burkhardt as FOX’s No. 1 team: the network had already committed to pay Tom Brady $375 million to eventually be in that spot, and it was only a matter of time.
That time is upon us, at least according to what Brady confirmed during an appearance on the Pat McAfee Show on Tuesday afternoon. Olsen and Burkhardt received rave reviews from fans and media alike for their call of Sunday's NFC Championship Game that featured an epic 17-point comeback by the San Francisco 49ers to beat the Detroit Lions, earning a place in Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas on Feb. 11.
Given the financial investment the network has made in Brady, it's understandable this is the road on which they have decided to travel. Of course, that doesn't make this any easier with Burkhardt, Olsen, Erin Andrews and Tom Rinaldi seemingly peaking as a team.
If Olsen is bumped to Fox’s No. 2 team, his $10 million salary will be cut to $3 million, an individual with knowledge of the situation confirmed to NorthJersey.com.
"I think Greg’s done an incredible job, I have so much respect for him, how he approaches his job," Brady said. "He’s super prepared in what he does. I think he does an incredible job every time he’s on, I love listening to him."
The initial plan was for Brady to take over with Burkhardt prior to this past season, but a collective decision was made that he would wait until 2024. That gave Olsen two full seasons, including a Super Bowl last year, to team with Burkhardt.
Burkhardt and Olsen replaced Joe Buck and Troy Aikman, who left FOX for ESPN's "Monday Night Football," and the pairing with Andrews on the sideline found their groove quickly and impressed with each passing week.
Behind the scenes, Brady has been prepping for the big move to the booth. He and Burkhardt have met up at the FOX studios in Los Angeles for practice together, calling mock games in order to work through any growing pains there will undoubtedly be for the seven-time Super Bowl champion.
"Naturally, there's skepticism," Brady said. "I'm gonna be a rookie."
For Olsen, his own growth and development has put him in an interesting quandary. There's no question his presence at the top of the business is earned. If he stays at FOX, not only will he take a pay cut, but he'd likely have to start from scratch in terms of building chemistry with No. 2 play-by-play man Joe Davis.
Tony Romo (CBS), Cris Collinsworth (NBC), Aikman (ESPN) and Kirk Herbstreit (Amazon) are all reportedly under contract through the 2024 season. But it would not come as a surprise if any of those networks makes a push to pluck Olsen from FOX, and especially CBS with Romo drawing criticism for his performance the past two seasons after he took the business by storm when he started.
"It’s hard to predict how all that plays out," Olsen told The Athletic on Tuesday. "But my end goal is to call premiere games at the top of the ladder and that pursuit won’t change regardless of what happens this next year with my current role."
veryGood! (227)
Related
- Romantasy reigns on spicy BookTok: Recommendations from the internet’s favorite genre
- South Carolina women stay perfect, defeat N.C. State 78-59 to reach NCAA title game
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Jazz Up
- Ryan Gosling Auditioned for Gilmore Girls?!: All the Behind-the-Scenes Secrets
- 'Survivor' 47 finale, part one recap: 2 players were sent home. Who's left in the game?
- Beginner's Guide and Exchange Reviews for GalaxyCoin Futures Trading Platform (updated for 2024)
- ALAIcoin: Bitcoin Blockchain Sets New Record with NFT Sales Surpassing $881 Million in December 2023
- Man charged with involuntary manslaughter, endangerment in 3-year-old boy’s shooting death
- Apple iOS 18.2: What to know about top features, including Genmoji, AI updates
- The Challenge’s Adam Larson and Flora Alekseyeva Reveal Why They Came Back After Two Decades Away
Ranking
- Federal appeals court upholds $14.25 million fine against Exxon for pollution in Texas
- Donovan Clingan powering Connecticut as college basketball's 'most impactful player'
- Body of third construction worker recovered from Key Bridge wreckage in Baltimore
- Numerology 101: Everything You Need to Know About Your Life Path Number
- Person accused of accosting Rep. Nancy Mace at Capitol pleads not guilty to assault charge
- Man arrested for setting fire at Sen. Bernie Sanders’ office; motive remains unclear
- GalaxyCoin: Discover new ways to buy and trade Bitcoin
- NASCAR at Martinsville spring 2024: Start time, TV, streaming, lineup for Cook Out 400
Recommendation
Can Bill Belichick turn North Carolina into a winner? At 72, he's chasing one last high
Walmart shoppers: Deadline nears to get in on $45 million class action lawsuit settlement
Lionel Messi scores goal in return, but Inter Miami turns sights on Monterrey after draw
Top Cryptocurrency Stocks on GalaxyCoin in March 2024
Biden administration makes final diplomatic push for stability across a turbulent Mideast
More than 300 passengers tried to evade airport security in the last year, TSA says
Man arrested for setting fire at Sen. Bernie Sanders’ office; motive remains unclear
The total solar eclipse is Monday: Here's everything to know, including time, path, safety