Fox Sports exec praises Greg Olsen ahead of first Super Bowl as Tom Brady deal looms

A Fox Sports executive was full of praise for announcer Greg Olsen following his rookie broadcast season.

Olsen has been a part of Fox’s premier NFL broadcast team since Joe Buck and Troy Aikman left for ESPN before the current season, but that could change a year from now with the 10-year, $375 million contract. Tom Brady with the looming net.

The 37-year-old is ready to call his first Super Bowl alongside his partner in the booth, Kevin Burkhardt.

But executive Brad Zager insisted he isn’t at all worried about Olsen’s ability to live up to big-game standards.

“There are a thousand things to worry about Super Bowl week, Greg Olsen coming out and doing an amazing broadcast is not on my list,” Zager said. the new york post office.

Olsen has been part of Fox’s best NFL broadcast team along with Kevin Burkhardt this season.

Zager also insisted that the former tight end had been his first choice for the job, saying he had no doubts about him.

“When I got this job, Greg was my first pick,” said Zager, who hired Olsen as Fox’s No. 2 analyst behind Aikman when Olsen was still an active player. “I was worried about making sure Greg Olsen was there at the time. He was below Joe and Troy. But once we saw what Greg could do over a full season, we had no doubts. I loved Greg Olsen.

“If you could design from scratch, someone coming off the field into the broadcast booth, you would give him so many characteristics that we see in Greg every day. His passion for broadcasting, his passion for being part of the production team, his passion for learning and getting feedback and being coached to be better and zero ego.

“He just walked in and said, ‘I’m the new guy here. I want to be good at this, help me get there.'” And I think that what people have seen at home is the sum of all those things.

Despite the praise, Sunday’s matchup could be the first of only two Super Bowls Olsen has announced.

Brady, who announced his retirement from the game after a loaded Super Bowl run on February 1, has a 10-year, $375 million contract with Fox.

And, before the veteran quarterback hung up his shoes, Olsen confessed that he knew it was only a matter of time before the quarterback ended up vying for his job.

“We all know reality,” Olsen said, during an appearance on “The Waddle and Silvy” radio show on ESPN 1000.

Tom Brady has a 10-year, $375 million deal with the broadcaster lined up

‘I know what I signed up for this year. My goal, and I said this even before the season started, my goal was to try to do the best job that I could. Give people a fun listen. Give people maybe a little bit of a different perspective and insight into the game. Do the best job you can.

‘Listen, if Brady ends up retiring and coming back, and he decides, and that’s how it all plays out, it sucks. But at the end of the day, I’m a big kid. I know why I signed up. I took a chance. I rolled the dice. Let’s see how it develops.

Just before his second season in the booth, Olsen received a new five-year contract, which would be worth $50 million if he retains the top spot. If Brady takes over in 2024, then Olsen would be moved to the No. 2 job and his salary would be reduced to $3 million.

Olsen can relax for now, as Brady recently revealed that he will wait to transition into the booth until the fall of 2024. In other words: NFL fans will go an entire season without Brady in 2023 for the first time in this millennium.

The seven-time Super Bowl champion revealed his retirement in an emotional video on social media.

Earlier in May, Fox CEO Lachlan Murdoch revealed that Brady would eventually be Fox Sports’ top NFL analyst, though a contract start date was unclear.

“We are delighted that Tom has made the commitment to join the Fox team and we wish him all the best in the coming season,” said Murdoch, the 50-year-old son of media mogul Rupert Murdoch.

Fox Sports said Brady’s on-air partner will be broadcaster Kevin Burkhardt. The five-time Super Bowl MVP will also work as a ‘brand ambassador’ for Fox, focusing on ‘customer and promotional initiatives’.