For 14 years, Greg Olsen was an outstanding tight end playing for the Chicago Bears, Carolina Panthers, and Seattle Seahawks. Towards the end of his career, Olsen began appearing in the broadcast booth during bye weeks and eventually transitioned to the booth full-time upon his retirement.
He was paired with Kevin Burkhardt for the 2021 season, and the pair were promoted to FOX’s No. 1 broadcast team. They called Super Bowl 57 and worked together for the 2023 season, but Olsen was demoted in 2024 for the recently retired Tom Brady, whom FOX paid $375 million to be its top color commentator.
Olsen has been honest when asked for his thoughts on the matter, and with Super Bowl 59 approaching, he’s had to answer those questions again.
Greg Olsen Makes Thoughts Clear on Not Being in Super Bowl Booth
Olsen has won Sports Emmy awards in back-to-back years, most recently taking home the hardware in May 2024 for Outstanding Personality/Event Analyst for his widely praised work as an NFL color commentator.
In a recent interview with a local news affiliate in Charlotte, North Carolina, Olsen was asked if he thinks he’ll be on the call for the biggest games of the season anytime soon.
I asked Greg Olsen if he sees a path to broadcasting a Super Bowl again soon, given Tom Brady's deal
"Wherever it is, whatever network it's on…my goal is to continue to show I'm as good if not better than anybody in this industry, I just need a chair." @wcnc #Panthers pic.twitter.com/Y0fVdvAHlW
— Nick Carboni (@NickCarboniWCNC) January 27, 2025
Reporter: “A lot of fans want to know, do you think there’s a path for you to be in the booth for championship week again, Super Bowl again, in the near future?”
Olsen responded with, “I hope so. I’ll be honest, it’s hard sitting home on the couch watching the games. And you know 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. What would you have said, and what would you have done?”
Olsen made it clear that he’s not satisfied with just a regional audience. “Listen, I’ve been very honest. My goal getting into this was to not just call regional 1:00 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. To not do it anymore is hard, it’s not ideal.”
It’s no surprise that Olsen has an issue with being taken off the No. 1 broadcast team, but that won’t stop him from performing his best.
“Wherever it is, whatever network it’s on…my goal is to continue to show I’m as good if not better than anybody in this industry. I just need a chair.”
In another interview with The Athletic‘s Joseph Pearson, Olsen tried to describe his feelings towards Brady, FOX, or anyone else on the No. 1 crew.
“I don’t think resentment’s probably accurate. But I also think it’s not too far off if I’m being honest,” Olsen said. “I don’t have any ill will — there’s no personal resentment towards Tom or, obviously, K.B. (Burkhardt) and Erin (Andrews). I still talk to all of them fairly regularly. I’m hoping to see them next week down in New Orleans and grab dinner or a drink and just kind of shoot the s***, catch up.”
Olsen continued with, “But yeah, it’s hard to sit there and watch games that over the last couple of years you were preparing for, and you were calling. And then you’re sitting there on your couch and you’re watching the game, you’re almost kind of broadcasting the game in your brain. You’re saying, ‘Oh, man, what would I have said on this play?’ There was so much to talk about there. That would’ve been super fun to dive into.”
Olsen is between a rock and a hard place. He’s proven he’s an excellent broadcaster, but he hasn’t truly had the chance to shine since FOX offered Brady a 10-year deal in May 2022.
Olsen’s salary reportedly decreased from $10 million to $3 million after he was demoted to make room for Brady on FOX’s top broadcast crew, so it’s understandable if he’s resentful.
