Retirement is a big life change. It is sometimes prudent to have a project, goal, or even another job to focus on to ease the transition. Legendary football player Tom Brady did just that.
In May 2022, Fox announced that whenever Tom retires, he will join the network as the lead NFL analyst. Tom flirted with the idea of retirement on February 1, 2022, but reversed that decision six weeks later. On February 1, 2023, he announced that he is officially retiring for good, which means he is coming for his analyst gig next. The only problem is that Greg Olsen is currently doing it well.
Tom gets emotional while making his short but sweet announcement. “I’ll get to the point right away. I’m retiring. For good,” he began.
Tom acknowledged that fans have heard this before. “I know the process was a pretty big deal last time,” he said. “I won’t be long winded. You only get one super emotional retirement essay and I used mine up last year.” Tom thanked everyone who aided him in his career, including his family, friends, teammates, and more.
The natural question after this announcement is when will Tom begin his Fox analyst career. Tom’s contract is incredibly impressive. The New York Post reported it is worth $375 million over 10 years.
Greg Olsen currently holds the position of lead NFL analyst for Fox. It is unknown at this time what Tom’s retirement will mean for him. Will Tom replace Greg in the booth and work alongside Kevin Burkhardt?
Will Tom step into his new role in time for Super Bowl LVII on February 12, 2023? Most agree that this is unlikely. It is more probable that Tom will cover the pregame instead of being present in a three-person booth. It would be a hard transition on such an important day.
For his part in this drama, Greg seems to be taking things in stride. "It’s a matter of just being realistic and understanding that when Tom Brady agrees to potentially be your No. 1 analyst and sit in the booth and all that he brings in with his reputation and whatnot, I get it," Greg said in an interview with The Athletic.
"To expect someone to not go that route seems pretty delusional. I always try to be very honest with myself, and I always feel I need to be honest with my situations, because if not, you’re really setting yourself up for disappointment. I know what I signed up for,” Greg added.
"I knew this year was going to be a weird year because I was going to answer this question every single time. I’ve said this to Kevin. My only option right now to make a career out of this is to be good. That’s it,” Greg concluded.
Greg’s positive attitude will serve him well as the world waits to see how this all plays out.
