The offseason usually starts with a coaching carousel, followed by a quarterback carousel.
This year, it will include a round of broadcaster roulette.
Troy Aikman is, by all appearances, leaving Monday Night Football. Greg Olsen is, by all appearances, leaving Fox.
Richard Deitsch of Sports Business Journal reports that Fox has had no negotiations with Olsen on a contract that expires after the current season.
Olsen, who had been the No. 1 analyst at Fox until Tom Brady came along, has been destined to leave for the top spot elsewhere. And the top spot will potentially be available at CBS, ESPN, and Prime Video.
Yes, Kirk Herbstreit has signed an extension. But it’s more of a placeholder for Prime Video; the new contract gives them an out to hire someone else.
Olsen has won multiple Emmys. Most recently, he beat out Brady for the prize. By next year, Olsen will likely be in the top chair at another network.
Of course, the top target in the looming frenzy likely will be Travis Kelce, who (we’ve heard) was already sniffing around the Prime Video spot last year. He’ll likely have his pick of the available jobs — and for now there likely will be at least three of them.
Someone won’t have a seat when the music stops. It could be that J.J. Watt slides back to No. 2 at CBS, and Aikman, Olsen, and Kelce take the CBS, ESPN, and Prime Video top spots.
Or it could get even more interesting, if the open jobs get more candidates to throw their headsets into the ring.
