In the time since Fox announced it was demoting NFL color commentator Greg Olsen to its No. 2 booth in favor of its $375 million man Tom Brady, Olsen has called a Super Bowl and won an Emmy.
So it was no surprise when the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences announced its 2025 nominees to see Olsen’s name on the list for Outstanding Event Analyst once again.
What came as perhaps a bigger shock, or at least could lead to further tension at Fox Sports, is that Brady’s name was not.
Fox’s splash hire brought much attention to its top NFL booth alongside Kevin Burkhardt in 2024, but Brady was somewhat disappointing as a top analyst. Olsen’s analysis, however, broke through several times during the NFL season. The former NFL tight end punctuated another tremendous season with an opportunity to be part of Netflix’s inaugural Christmas Day broadcast.
“Honored to be nominated for my 4th consecutive (Emmy),” Olsen wrote on X. “Congrats to everyone nominated. Some big time names!!”
By the end of the season, Olsen seemed to be openly defiant of Fox management before eventually reigning it in. In Week 17, Olsen posted commentary that directly opposed that of Brady on Brady’s game that week. Later, Olsen called it “very hard” to watch the postseason from his couch, casually floated leaving for another network, and said his opportunities at Fox were “a non-factor.”
If the 2024-25 Awful Announcing NFL announcer rankings were any indication, Olsen is far and away the preferred NFL analyst at Fox. But from the moment it hired Brady, Fox was clear in its intentions. They allowed Olsen to call Super Bowl LVII and watched him win an Emmy, all while waiting for Brady — their golden goose — to arrive.
About Brendon Kleen
Brendon is a Media Commentary staff writer at Awful Announcing. He has also covered basketball and sports business at Front Office Sports, SB Nation, Uproxx and more.