Tom Brady in, Greg Olsen out! Fox Sports bets big bucks on Touchdown Tom's broadcasting skills!

Put the Lombardi down and pick up a mic
Olsen’s media ascension
Giving up the throne
A gracious transition
A huge hit to the wallet
Pay decrease
A class act
Making life difficult in one aspect
Brady making the big bucks
Breaking in
A different mindset
All-in
Confident colleague
Mentors across the industry
Doubters
Olsen’s future plans
Put the Lombardi down and pick up a mic

Most NFL fans agree that Greg Olsen has become one of the best color analysts in the NFL over the past few seasons, his chemistry with Kevin Burkhardt was unmatched and his detailed analysis added to every game he worked on. Now, Fox Sports are throwing a huge bag of cash in Tom Brady's direction as he returns to the NFL as a broadcaster, but will their bet on the seven-time Super Bowl champ work?

 

 

Olsen’s media ascension

Greg Olsen played 14 seasons in the NFL as a tight end for the Chicago Bears, Carolina Panthers and Seattle Seahawks. Football Reference displays his career statistics of 742 catches and 60 touchdowns. However, he’s been an asset covering NFL games, winning a Sports Emmy in 2024, according to CT Post’s website.

Giving up the throne

However, Olsen’s window as the lead color analyst was always going to be a temporary one. He told The Athletic, “We’ve been planning that for two years. We knew when we took the job that Brady was there whenever he was going to decide to come.”

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A gracious transition

Olsen could have chosen to feel spurned and not help his replacement, but he’s been more than willing to assist Brady with his new career path. Olsen told USA Today, “I was happy to share that with some of him. Everyone thinks it’s easy until you do it.”

A huge hit to the wallet

However, Brady’s arrival means that Olsen’s earnings at Fox will take a noticeable hit.

Pay decrease

Since Olsen is technically being demoted to the number two broadcast team at Fox Sports, he is losing a whopping $7 million per season, according to NBC Sports. He was earning $10 million per year as the lead analyst, and is set to earn $3 million on the second team.

A class act

Olsen told The New York Times, “I knew what I was signing up for. I’ve always said I’m a big boy.”

Making life difficult in one aspect

Olsen’s Emmy award-winning performances have made it difficult for Brady in a certain light. The Daily Mail commented that Brady doesn’t have much of a choice but to step in and excel at his new role, given the level of proficiency Olsen did the job with.

Brady making the big bucks

FOX Sports signed Tom Brady to a whopping 10-year, $375 million contract before he retired from the NFL, in order to secure his services on television.

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Breaking in

The first game Brady will call in the regular season will be a Week 1 matchup featuring the Dallas Cowboys and Cleveland Browns.

A different mindset

As an NFL player, Brady thrived on being better than the players who lined up across the line of scrimmage. While there’s still an element of being the top broadcast in the sport, Brady is viewing this new challenge a bit differently, as he told Fox Sports’ Colin Cowherd.

All-in

Brady told Cowherd, “I think for me, it’s about whether I put everything I could into it? Did I give the fans everything that they tuned in for? That’s really how I’ll end up gauging myself.”

Confident colleague

Brady will be working with Erin Andrews, who is the on-field reporter for NFL games on Fox. She told Marca’s website, “His resume supports that he is great at everything he does, so why would this be any different?”

Mentors across the industry

Yahoo Sports reported that former Fox Sports play by play announcer Joe Buck wants to make sure that Brady has a smooth transition into the booth. Buck, who now works for ESPN, told Yahoo, “He’s talked to intermediaries about maybe getting with me and having me help him, which I’m totally open to doing and would love to do.”

Doubters

However, there are also some high profile members of the media who don’t think Brady will do all that well in his new job. Legendary sports radio host Mike Francesa told Mail Online, “I don’t think his heart is in it. I don’t think his personality is as such. I don’t think he’s going to be great at it, I really don’t.”

Olsen’s future plans

The former NFL tight end told The Athletic, “My end goal is to call premier games at the top of the ladder and that pursuit won’t change regardless of what happens this next year with my current role.”

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