Tom Brady will finally take to the broadcast booth as FOX’s No. 1 football analyst this year.
The former NFL quarterback will be taking over from Greg Olsen as the network’s lead man as he’s confirmed he will start working alongside Kevin Burkhardt in September but won’t be forming a three-man team, which likely means Olsen will drop down to the no. 2 crew and work alongside Joe Davis.
“I believe I can provide a pretty unique perspective that I think a lot of people will really like. It’s going to be a lot of hard work. It’s going to be a lot of fun,” he told Owen Poindexter on the Front Office Sports podcast on Tuesday. “It’s always about challenging yourself to grow in different areas. And this is certainly one way that I’m doing it.”
He also spoke to Pat McAfee today, offering an opinion of Olsen.
"I've been out to the FOX studios a few times and I'm really excited to join an amazing team..
Greg Olsen does an incredible job and I have so much respect for him..
I'm gonna go in there and do the best I can do with my own perspective" ~ @TomBrady #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/Z1b6B2Zal5
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) January 30, 2024
He’s told FOS that, while he has nothing but respect for Olsen, he has already “developed a great rapport” with Burkhardt.
Brady signed a 10-year deal worth $375 million with the company back in 2022, yet there were doubts over whether he’d actually get in the booth as he didn’t jump in right after retiring.
The seven-time Super Bowl winner also discussed the preparation he’s gone through to give himself the best chance of succeeding as the top football voice at FOX.
“A lot of studying, a lot of research, a lot of talking to a lot of friends who are in the business and that have gone through their own growing pains,” he added. “Reaching out to some of the best in the industry that have given me some great advice and then just going in there and just doing dry runs and practice.
“It’s been really fun. It’s been a different challenge. Fortunately, I think there’s a database of knowledge that’s been built up over 23 years of sitting in meeting rooms and being in game-plan meetings.”
Olsen has attracted a lot of praise for his work this season, especially during Sunday’s NFC Championship Game, and it was hoped that he could remain in his position and work alongside Brady and Burkhardt. Unfortunately, that’s not going to be the case.