Tom Brady will call his first Super Bowl alongside Kevin Burkhardt for Fox Sports on Sunday. While much attention has been given to Brady replacing Greg Olsen as the network’s lead analyst, one can’t help but wonder what if they had worked together? Twenty years ago, Fox’s Super Bowl broadcast booth looked different—Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, and Cris Collinsworth formed a three-man team to call Eagles-Patriots in Jacksonville. This three-man booth hasn’t returned to the sport’s biggest stage since, not due to a lack of chemistry, but because Collinsworth quickly went back to NBC, marking a short-lived, yet impactful, experiment for Fox’s top team.
Despite Collinsworth’s absence being felt, it didn’t hinder Buck and Aikman from becoming one of the league’s most adored duos, eventually earning the title of the longest-tenured broadcast crew in NFL history. Their departure from Fox opened doors—first for Greg Olsen and then for Tom Brady. With Olsen being a master of his craft and a fan favorite, Fox had a genuine opportunity to revive the three-man booth, nearly two decades later. Given Brady’s inconsistent first season and Olsen’s frustration with his reduced role, it may have been an ideal compromise, one that Olsen was open to considering. It’s worth noting that Awful Announcing’s readers voted him and Joe Davis as the top announcing crew in the sport.
However, Fox adhered to its $375 million plan. As Olsen now strives to reclaim his spot on the biggest stage, it’s evident that the network may have squandered a significant opportunity. Although Olsen wasn’t opposed to the idea of a three-man booth, the reality is we never truly ventured into the “red area.” After earning praise for his Super Bowl LVII commentary and facing uncertainty regarding Brady’s commitment, Olsen continued to warm the chair as Fox’s lead NFL analyst, fully aware that his time might be temporary with Brady looming on the horizon. Despite this, a possible route for Olsen to remain part of Fox’s elite crew was through a three-man booth.
Speaking to Barrett Media’s Derek Futterman last August, Olsen expressed that he would have considered joining Brady and Burkhardt in the booth, although it seems the network failed to take the idea seriously. “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,” Olsen said. “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. It just never was worth much consideration just because it was never really a possibility.” Indeed, it became evident that this option was never pursued, even as many outside the network believed it could have been reconsidered after Olsen’s impressive performances.
Some, like Peter King, noted that Fox had its reasons for not entertaining the three-man booth, primarily due to the salary disparity between the two former NFL stars and the high regard in which Olsen is held. King argued that the concept of a three-man booth could potentially embarrass Brady, stating, “Brady obviously is making whatever it is, $37 million, and it would kind of seem absurd that the guy who everybody thinks is one of the best (Olsen), is making a quarter of what the big star is.” With the financial dynamics at play, the dream of a three-man booth ultimately faded.
Fox would prioritize many aspects of its programming. Embarrassing the greatest quarterback of all time? That wasn’t one of them. As the conversation has reignited due to Olsen airing some grievances prior to the Super Bowl, it’s worth noting that he understood the situation he signed up for—keeping Brady’s seat warm—but that doesn’t imply he must be content with it. He aspires to call top games and is open to the possibility of working a Super Bowl on another network. Olsen even conveyed a message to Fox management regarding his demotion, asserting that the “upward trajectory as far as Fox goes, probably is a non-factor.”
It didn’t have to unfold this way. While Greg Olsen won’t directly say it, his future as a premier analyst appears to lie elsewhere, as he has demonstrated his ability to handle significant stages yet has been set aside for the network’s hefty investment in Brady. Although this is business, it doesn’t equate to fairness. If Brady underperforms compared to Olsen during the Super Bowl, it could raise questions about Olsen’s worthiness of staying in that role, presenting a potential nightmare for the network. Navigating away from sports media history’s priciest analyst deal won’t be straightforward. Olsen, on the other hand, won’t linger awaiting a redemption arc that might never manifest; he is too talented, respected, and driven to be a mere backup plan. Fox had an opportunity to make it work but ultimately made its choice, leaving us to wonder what could have transpired had Greg Olsen and Tom Brady shared the broadcast booth.
