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Credit: Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports

Tom Brady reportedly picked the brain of Greg Olsen for broadcast advice even as he was set to replace him in the booth, relegating the latter to the ‘B Team’ at Fox Sports and costing him $7 million in salary.

Brady, the seven-time Super Bowl champion quarterback, is set to join Fox Sports for the 2024 NFL season. Olsen revealed to USA Today on Friday that Brady had sought advice.

“I had a chance to speak with Tom a couple of weeks ago, and he was just kind of picking my brain about the prep and the industry and what to expect and whatnot,” Olsen said.

“So I don’t know. Every guy has their own journey in sports broadcasting,” he added. “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.”

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Tom Brady Booting Greg Olsen To The B-Team

You have to hand it to Tom Brady. You don’t become the GOAT if you’re not willing to show chutzpah. And booting Greg Olsen to the B-Team at Fox Sports and then asking him for advice is next level.

Brady’s deal with Fox is reported to be the largest in sports broadcasting history, with a 10-year contract worth $375 million.

But by inserting him into the lineup, Olsen gets to take a backseat. And a pay cut. He will be losing $7 million per year by being relegated from the No. 1 team at Fox to No. 2.

NFL: Dallas Cowboys at Carolina Panthers
Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports

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Olsen Warns That Brady’s Broadcast Career Won’t Simply Fall Into Place

Olsen adds that despite Brady’s greatness on the field, nothing is guaranteed in the broadcast booth. There is no “real correlation” between a successful player and a successful sports announcer.

“So, obviously, his playing career and his resume and whatnot is an all-timer. So, you know, we’ll see how the year goes,” he said.

“I don’t think there’s any real correlation between being a great player or an average player and how that correlates to being a great broadcaster or an average broadcaster. I think we’ve seen samples on both ends of that spectrum. So, we’ll see how it all plays out.”

Olsen, who has been with Fox Sports since 2021, was promoted to the network’s lead NFL analyst role before the 2022 season, alongside Kevin Burkhardt. He and Burkhardt helped call Super Bowl LVII between the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs. It was watched by over 115 million viewers.

Despite his demotion, Olsen has maintained a positive outlook and has even joked about making headlines over the unique situation.

Still, he had been dreading the potential of having his role diminished if Brady joined the booth.

“Listen, if Brady ends up retiring and coming, and decides, and that’s how everything unfolds, it sucks,” he previously said. “But at the end of the day, I’m a big boy. I know what I signed up for.”

Do you think Brady will be a success? Does Olsen deserve this treatment?

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Rusty Weiss is a lifelong NFL and MLB fan (Cowboys/Dodgers) and sometimes fan of college basketball (Xavier). Rusty is ... More about Rusty Weiss
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