It’s possible for Greg Olsen to be friends with Fox colleague Tom Brady while still striving to be the best NFL analyst in the world.
Since getting bumped by Brady as the lead NFL analyst at Fox, Olsen has remained open about wanting to call the biggest games on the biggest stage again in the future. And while joining the latest episode of Barstool Sports’ Pardon My Take, co-host Dan “Big Cat” Katz complimented Olsen for always speaking about his desire to be a No. 1 analyst so candidly.
“I’ve been very adamant about where I stand, and it doesn’t always come through with headlines,” Olsen said. “I always make sure I’m very clear where my personal aspirations to continue to ascend in this industry and to get back calling those games are completely independent of Tom and I. We’ve hung out, personally. We talk on the phone, we keep in touch, he sent a cool video for my youth football team…we talk about raising teenage daughters, we’ve gone to play golf together, we hung out at the Bahamas at a little retreat. We’ve gotten to be very good friends on a very personal level since he’s joined Fox.”
“There’s this idea that there’s this personal animosity and competition,” Olsen continued. “There’s not. My relationship with Tom and Fox and Joe Davis and Burkhardt and all my people at Fox couldn’t be better. On the other parallel line to that, yes, I want to ascend in the industry, and I’m sure Joe Davis wants to call Super Bowls as well, that doesn’t mean he doesn’t like Burkhardt. Any motivated guy, you want to be the best at what you do. That is not a knock on the people that are ahead of you.”
If Peyton Manning and Tom Brady were able to be friends while remaining fierce rivals on the football field, why shouldn’t Olsen and Brady be able to have a friendship while working at the same network?
When Olsen ascended into the lead NFL booth for Fox after Troy Aikman left for ESPN, he knew it was temporary, with Brady and his $375 million contract waiting in the wings. Olsen took the job by storm and received rave reviews after calling a Super Bowl alongside Kevin Burkhardt for Fox. And as expected, Brady assumed Olsen’s chair when he was ready to start his broadcasting career.
Olsen saw the pay difference that a top analyst makes; he got a taste of being in the booth for the biggest games and even called a Super Bowl. Imagine if he now just said, ‘Forget all that, I want to be the second analyst at a network.’ He would be mocked and accused of lying. To his credit, Olsen has done what everyone should do and remained clear about his goals, while still being a good teammate.