Fox lead NFL analyst Greg Olsen sounds ready to fight for his chair with recently retired quarterback Tom Brady preparing to join the network in 2024.
“I’m not gonna roll over and die,” Olsen said at a recent event, per Connor Lomis and Taylor Young of Queen City News. “I’m willing to do what these guys aren’t willing to do.”
Brady is set to become Fox’s No. 1 NFL analyst whenever he wishes via a 10-year deal reportedly worth $375 million that the two sides agreed to in 2022. The seven-time Super Bowl champion announced his “for good” playing retirement on Feb. 1 but later confirmed he’s taking a “gap year” before beginning his broadcasting career.
“Until they kick me out, I’m gonna sit there and do it,” Olsen continued during his comments. “Maybe he [Brady] does come and take my job one day; I can live with that; I get it. I understand the rules that we all sign up for.”
It’s been reported that Olsen’s Fox salary would’ve dropped from $10 million to $3 million had he lost his lead analyst gig to Brady later this year. Olsen’s contract allegedly includes an opt-out that allows him to pursue a No. 1 analyst position with a different company if he’s ever replaced by the future Hall of Famer.
Olsen and play-by-play broadcaster Kevin Burkhardt received high praise for their work in calling last Sunday’s Super Bowl LVII matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles. Olsen suggested he doesn’t want that to be the last title game he works alongside Burkhardt.
“The Super Bowl was just an incredible experience; I mean, I think when I got home Monday afternoon, I was sitting on the couch, and you almost feel like you are almost in a dark place,” Olsen explained. “It was like, ‘it’s over.’ All of that build-up and all of that lead-up was very similar to when I was a player, and then it is over.”
Some have hinted there’s a chance Brady doesn’t work for Fox in 2024 or ever. Olsen knows the job is his until further notice, and it seems like he wants to give Fox executives something to think about come February of next year.
