Tom Brady has entered the world of broadcasting at the expense of a pay cut for Greg Olsen. Olsen took a demotion that came with a $7 million pay cut to make way for Brady. But it doesn’t seem like he holds any hard feelings toward the football legend. In fact, he even had a piece of advice for Brady to help him on this new journey.
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In an interview with USA Today on Sports Seriously, Olsen revealed that Tom Brady approached him for advice as he prepared for his new career. The experienced broadcaster emphasized the challenges of broadcasting, which would also be a major challenge for any new incoming talent like Tom Brady:
“Everyone thinks it’s easy. I think everyone thinks getting up there and calling a live football game for three hours, off the cuff and being able to get in, get out, deal with the flow of the game, the players, the schemes, the terminology.”
Tom Brady, who secured a 10-year, $375 million deal with Fox, will replace Greg Olsen as the network’s top NFL analyst. Olsen acknowledged that Brady arguably has one of the most illustrious playing careers in the NFL but noted that the unpredictability of broadcasting success can still haunt even someone like him.
However, Brady still has the benefit of the doubt from Olsen who has witnessed a mixed bag of transitions over the years.
“I think some guys really transition to it well and take to it pretty quickly, and other guys haven’t. We’ve seen a mixed bag of results over the last couple of years.”
Ultimately, Olsen was philosophical about the situation as he recognized that a great playing career does not guarantee success in broadcasting. Rather, it will be a test of his adaptability to the new role especially as this is a new arena for Brady altogether.
Greg Olsen Suffers the Cost of Brady’s Entry Into His Sphere
Tom Brady’s transition to the world of broadcasting costs FOX News $37.5 annually on average. Meanwhile, for Carolina Panthers great Greg Olsen, Brady’s transition has ended up costing him $7 million annually. As announced earlier this week, the seven-time Super Bowl champion and three-time Most Valuable Player is set to join the No. 1 crew for FOX’s NFL coverage.
This edition comes with heavy implications for Greg Olsen, who is reportedly demoted to the No. 2 team and faces a pay cut from $10 million to $3 million, seeing his earnings decrease by 70%.
TOUGH: Greg Olsen’s salary at FOX is being reduced from $10 million to $3 million after being moved to the 2nd broadcasting team due to Tom Brady's arrival.
That's a 70 percent pay cut.
(via: Andrew Marchand) pic.twitter.com/Evulirim5v
— OutOfSightSports🚀™️ (@OOSSports) May 16, 2024
Brady’s debut season with FOX will feature him calling five games. This limited yet high-profile engagement will allow him to gradually fit into his new role while FOX takes its time to evaluate his performance alongside seasoned broadcaster Kevin Burkhardt.
Arguably, Tom Brady’s first steps into the booth will have all eyes on him to see if he can transition from legendary quarterback to accomplished broadcaster. Meanwhile, Olsen will also continue to deliver his insightful analysis in his new capacity.
