How Greg Olsen reacted to Tom Brady taking his FOX broadcasting gig

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Greg Olsen is very good at his new job. Alas, he's not the GOAT.

The former Pro Bowl tight end learned that lesson the hard way earlier this month. Despite showing promise as an NFL broadcast analyst alongside play-by-play announcer Kevin Burkhardt, Olsen will have to cede his role to Tom Brady, who agreed to a massive 10-year, $375 million contract with FOX Sports to become its new No. 1 analyst once he's done playing.

We wouldn't blame Olsen for being a little irked by FOX's decision; he was excellent as a color analyst last season, while Brady will enter the booth with zero broadcasting experience.

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Olsen isn't naive, however, which is why he begrudgingly accepted being replaced by the greatest quarterback of all time.

"All along, we thought we were in the mix and we had good dialogue. Obviously they weren’t going to tell us exactly what was going on behind the scenes," Olsen told Barstool Sports' "Pardon My Take" podcast Wednesday.

"We had heard the same rumors everybody else did and we were trying to make sense of it all. When the news came, it was like you just said: If it was someone else -- like if I got jumped by someone else, sure, I would’ve wanted to burn the city to the ground, right? I would have been pissed and whatever.

"But when you lose out on Tom Brady, it’s like, 'This sucks. At least he doesn’t take the job now; maybe I can have my time in the sun and keep his seat warm until he gets there.' But yeah, if you’re going to lose, at least lose to him.

"I can at least live with the only person in the world who beat me out was Tom Brady. I can live with that."

Olsen should get at least one full season as FOX Sports' No. 1 analyst following the departure of Joe Buck and Troy Aikman to ESPN -- and possibly more if the 44-year-old Brady decides to play beyond his one-year contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2022. Olsen also should get to call Super Bowl LVII, which will be on FOX in February.

While we don't envy Olsen's position as a "lame duck" for Brady, he can take solace in knowing that it took arguably the NFL's most recognizable face to bump Olsen from his coveted position. And if Brady doesn't shine in the broadcast booth, then Olsen can take pride in knowing he's better than the seven-time Super Bowl champion in one area, at least.

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