Greg Olsen discusses Tom Brady booth idea, relationship with Fox

Ahead of Super Bowl LVIII this past winter, media insider Jimmy Traina of Sports Illustrated suggested that Fox could put popular analyst Greg Olsen in a three-man booth alongside Tom Brady and play-by-play announcer Kevin Burkhardt once Brady began calling NFL games for the network this September.

As shared by Derek Futterman of the Barrett Media website, Fox never considered going down that road and instead fully embraced its plan of having Brady replace Olsen as the network's lead in-game analyst.

"I think that’s a conversation that if it was something that was even on the table, we would have definitely leaned into and considered and talked through what the mechanics and the situation of that looks like, " Olsen said about the idea mentioned by Traina and others. " I’m not one to just close doors without at least knowing what’s behind them. So yeah, that’s not something I would have been opposed to by any stretch . It just never was worth much consideration just because it was never really a possibility. "

Brady and Fox agreed to a 10-year deal reportedly worth $375M following the 2021 season, and network executives clearly hope his presence will attract additional viewers beginning with the Week 1 game between the Dallas Cowboys and Cleveland Browns on Sept. 8. Meanwhile, Fox has relegated Olsen to its No. 2 crew until further notice , but he continues to make it known he wants to work the most important matchups on the NFL calendar.

"I want to call the games that everybody’s tuning in to watch and all eyes are on the game and you’re the voice that weaves them in and out of super complex situations, super interesting, high-stress, kind of all-in environments and situations, " Olsen said. " I love that. Last year calling that run of playoff games that we had was awesome. I didn’t want it to end. I wish we could have done another week. "

None of the NFL's main media partners currently have an opening for a No. 1 analyst, but Traina thinks NBC could eventually target Olsen as a replacement for Cris Collinsworth. Olsen insisted he and his representatives aren't " begging to get ourselves out " of his Fox deal even as individuals within the company understand his " aspirations have never changed " regarding his broadcasting career.

"I want to go out this year," Olsen added, "albeit on a different crew, and my goal is that we’re the best crew in the industry, and that will always be my goal on every crew that I’m on is that when people watch games they say, ' That’s my favorite crew.' "

NFL insider Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk believes at least some NFL owners want Brady to " pick a lane " because they feel he can't serve as a minority owner of the Las Vegas Raiders and also " do the job properly as a broadcaster. " If Brady ultimately chooses the Raiders over Fox, Olsen could again be Burkhardt's full-time partner as soon as September 2025.