When FOX Sports signed Tom Brady to a historic 10-year, $375 million contract as its lead NFL analyst, the decision sent shockwaves through the broadcasting world.
Brady, a seven-time Super Bowl champion, had zero experience in the booth, yet his arrival meant Greg Olsen – one of the industry’s top analysts – was pushed aside.
Now, with Brady set to call Super Bowl LIX between the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles, Olsen has found himself relegated to regional broadcasts.
Though he has publicly handled the situation with grace, he recently opened up about his clear frustration.
In an interview with Sports Illustrated, Olsen admitted, “I’ll be honest, it’s hard sitting home on the couch watching the games. You’re sitting there and you’re living and dying with every broadcast, and you’re sitting there and you’re dissecting everything that’s said and done and, ‘What would you have said?,’ and, ‘What would you have done?’
“I’ve been very honest. My goal getting into this was to not just call regional 1 o’clock games and just be happy to be there. I’ve called the highest games, we’ve called some of the biggest games in NFL history, some of the biggest audiences in NFL history. Super Bowls, championship games, playoff games, Thanksgiving. I had the opportunity over the last couple of years to call any and all of that. To not do it anymore is hard. It’s not ideal.”
“Listen, wherever it is, whatever network it’s on, whatever opportunity is there, my goal is to continue to show I’m as good, if not better than anybody in this industry and I just need a chair and an opportunity to present the game in a way that I find interesting and in a way that seems like people have connected with over the last couple of years and I’m gonna continue to work until that opportunity is just completely out the door.”
In his short time in the booth, Olsen became an instant fan-favorite.
While some of the Brady criticism has been unwarranted, the fact of the matter is he has much to improve on and can’t rely on his Super Bowl rings to get the job done for him.
What are your thoughts on Olsen’s comments? … Do you think FOX made a major mistake replacing him with the high-priced (and sometimes robotic) Brady???
