Greg Olsen has received nearly universal praise for his work on FOX. A whole new audience learned of his broadcasting skill when he and Kevin Burkhardt were moved into the network’s top NFL booth this season. How long he gets to stay in that booth remains unknown.
FOX signed Tom Brady to a $375 million dollar deal in 2022. When he is finally ready to walk away from the NFL, Brady will go to FOX’s top NFL booth alongside Burkhardt. What that means for Olsen remains unknown.
He was on ESPN 1000’s Waddle & Silvy on Tuesday and was asked what it would take for FOX to keep him in a prominent position when Brady arrives. Marc Silverman even suggested having the GOAT start as low as the number four booth at the network.
“I don’t know if Brady is going to be in the number four booth,” Greg Olsen laughed. “We all know the reality. I know what I signed up for this year.”
Olsen said that his goal has always been to continue to get better and hopefully deliver a fun broadcast. Ideally, that should be enough to keep him in the top booth, especially if the praise continues when he and Burkhardt call the Super Bowl.
In reality, FOX has made a massive investment in Tom Brady, in terms of both time and money. Olsen knows that those commitments matter to the network. All he can do is wait to see what decision Brady makes about his future.
“Listen, if Brady ends up retiring and coming, and decides (to join the FOX booth), 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. We’ll see how it plays out.”
While it is widely expected that Tom Brady will not return to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, plenty in the NFL believe that his playing career is not over. Olsen joked that if another team is interested in bringing Tom Brady in, then he is willing to help seal the deal however he can.
“Listen, I hope Brady signs a five-year deal with somebody. I’ll be the first guy there. I’ll give ’em some cap room to make it work.”
