Current:Home > StocksWhat's next for Greg Olsen with Tom Brady in line to take No. 1 spot on FOX? -EquityZone
What's next for Greg Olsen with Tom Brady in line to take No. 1 spot on FOX?
View
Date:2025-04-14 22:34:41
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! (317)
Related
- Could Bill Belichick, Robert Kraft reunite? Maybe in Pro Football Hall of Fame's 2026 class
- Trump EPA Science Advisers Push Doubt About Air Pollution Health Risks
- Here's How James Corden Ended His Late Late Show Run—With Help From Harry Styles
- Why Molly Ringwald Rejected Pretty Woman Role—That Later Went to Julia Roberts
- Don't let hackers fool you with a 'scam
- How North West Saved Mom Kim Kardashian's Met Gala 2023 Dress
- How Prince William Got Serious and Started Treating Kate Middleton Like a Queen
- Shocked and Saddened Maury Povich Pays Tribute to Jerry Springer After His Death
- Military service academies see drop in reported sexual assaults after alarming surge
- U.S., Development Bank Launch Incubator to Help Clean Energy Projects Grow
Ranking
- Taylor Swift Eras Archive site launches on singer's 35th birthday. What is it?
- 11 AAPI-Owned Brands To Support Throughout May & Year-Round, Too
- Ariana Madix Appears to React to Joke About Tom Sandoval at White House Correspondents' Dinner
- Today’s Climate: April 26, 2010
- 'Vanderpump Rules' star DJ James Kennedy arrested on domestic violence charges
- Why Dylan Mulvaney Is Returning to Social Media Amid “Cruel” Brand Deal Criticism
- Nordstrom 75% Off Shoe Deals: Tory Burch, Katy Perry, Nike, Dolce Vita, BCBG, and More
- These Are the adidas Sneakers Everyone Will Be Wearing All Summer Long
Recommendation
What to know about Tuesday’s US House primaries to replace Matt Gaetz and Mike Waltz
Maluma Brings the Heat in Must-See Met Gala 2023 Red Carpet Look
Go Behind the Scenes of Met Gala 2023 With These Photos of Bradley Cooper, Irina Shayk and More
West Texas Residents Raise a Fight Over Another Trans-National Pipeline
Alex Murdaugh’s murder appeal cites biased clerk and prejudicial evidence
Jersey Shore's Angelina Pivarnick Is Engaged to Vinny Tortorella
Grown Up Princess Charlotte Looks Just Like Mom Kate Middleton in 8th Birthday Portrait
Kylie Jenner Has the Best Plus-One in Daughter Stormi for Met Gala Night 2023