Move over, Dan Orlovsky. Greg Olsen might be the latest broadcaster eyeing a transition to the NFL sidelines — or even the front office.
While Awful Announcing readers ranked Olsen and Joe Davis as the No. 1 NFL announcing duo this season, Olsen’s crew didn’t call a playoff game, nor do they command the same attention as Kevin Burkhardt and the looming specter of Tom Brady.
Brady, of course, has taken his time embracing his broadcasting future, seemingly more invested in his minority stake in the Las Vegas Raiders. His conflicts of interest are now a running subplot, especially this weekend. Brady is set to call the Washington Commanders-Detroit Lions game, which just so happens to feature Ben Johnson — the Lions’ offensive coordinator and the favorite to become the next Raiders head coach.
But this isn’t about Brady. It’s about Olsen, who has quietly become one of the most insightful voices in football. Despite his relegation in Fox’s pecking order, Olsen’s stock continues to rise, thanks to his detailed analysis and refreshing candor. His appearance on ESPN Chicago’s Waddle & Silvy show on Thursday offered another glimpse into his broader ambitions—and it came with a bit of irony.
“I would put my experience in NFL circles up with anybody for the last 20 years”
Greg Olsen tells @WaddleandSilvy and @TWaddle87 that he would be would consider a front office or coaching role with the Bears
Listen to the full show on the ESPN Chicago app:… pic.twitter.com/ek0EOaGORj
— ESPN Chicago (@ESPN1000) January 16, 2025
When jokingly asked if he might join a Chicago Bears rebuild alongside Ben Johnson and Caleb Williams, Olsen played along, but there was a hint of seriousness in his response.
“The McCaskey’s have my number,” the former Bears first-round pick said. “I’ve seen the McCaskey family here and there over the course of the last couple of seasons… they haven’t lost my number.”
Would Olsen be interested in running a team one day?
“Yeah, there’s no question in my mind that, and again, I say that all about [Mike] McCarthy and experience,” said Olsen, “when you have good quality experience, obviously that’s really valuable. But, as we all know, every year, head coaches, coordinators, position coaches, get turned around this cycle — and everyone’s hired off experience. All we see all the time is, ‘Then how come all these experienced guys end up having to find new jobs?’ If experience was everything, no one would ever get fired because all of these guys have been doing this for a long time.
“I think sometimes the NFL and these teams need to take a step back and say, ‘OK, is there some fresh ideas out there? Is there some different avenues that we don’t consider that we could pull really interesting talent — people that understand building and roster building and culture management and offensive football and modern-day philosophies? Are there other avenues that we can pull from to find this talent to coach teams, to manage teams,’ whatever the role is?”
In other words, Yes, he’s interested.
“I think everyone is so focused on just recycling current coaches that maybe they don’t take a step back and say, ‘Listen, there’s some really [sic] players that have had a lot of really interesting success, how about that?’ I think there’s other ways and buckets of talent to pull from,” says Olsen. “I would consider that. I mean, who wouldn’t? Obviously, this is a game; this is what I know; this is what I study; this is what I love.
“Again, I couldn’t love calling games anymore. I’ve learned more football calling games over the last four years than maybe I did when I was a player. I have been let behind the curtain of some of the best organizations in the business and I come away saying, ‘OK, I get why they win.’ And there’s other teams that I’ve spent a lot of time with and conversations with and I come around and say, ‘They’re not even close.’ So, I’ve had a really unique perspective from this chair about what goes into winning in the NFL, combined with 14 years of playing and being in locker rooms and being in the Super Bowl and being on teams that didn’t make the playoffs, and understanding why certain teams took different paths.
“I think there’s a lot of value in experience in that, even if that experience doesn’t necessarily come in a ‘coaching’ role or scouting role. I would put my NFL experience up with anybody over the last 20 years.”
For now, Olsen remains firmly in the broadcast booth, where his thoughtful analysis and storytelling continue to resonate with fans. But don’t be surprised if the next chapter of his career takes him out of the booth and into the boardroom — or onto the sideline.
After all, as Olsen himself says, the NFL could use a few fresh ideas.