Kevin Burkhardt is living in the moment.
Fox Sports’ top NFL play-by-play announcer hasn’t paid any mind to the potential shakeup in the booth when the newly retired Tom Brady takes on his new role as the network’s lead analyst.
“The reality is other than being asked in every media interview that I have done, and I mean this on or off the record, I have not thought about Tom Brady as a broadcaster for 10 f–king seconds,” Burkhardt told Sports Business Journal. “I just felt like it was out of bounds for me to be doing this right now and living in the moment and then texting Tom on the side, like, ‘Can’t wait for you to come, buddy.’”
Brady, who confirmed last Wednesday that he’s retiring “for good” after 23 seasons in the NFL, signed a 10-year, $375 million deal with Fox Sports in May, with plans to join the network after finishing his playing career.
Burkhardt and former tight end Greg Olsen have been Fox’s top NFL broadcasting team following the departures of Joe Buck and Troy Aikman for ESPN last spring.
Burkhardt and Olsen have received praise from the media and fans alike for their chemistry and camaraderie in the booth, and will call their final game of the season on Sunday in Super Bowl 2023 between the Chiefs and Eagles.
Fox Sports’ plan to eventually pair Burkhardt with Brady is indicative that Olsen could get booted from the network’s No. 1 game booth. The top Fox crew, though, is said to feel strongly about Olsen’s performance this season.
“Every person on that top Fox crew is aware of the situation, of course. But they also have adopted a mantra that they want to make Fox Sports CEO Eric Shanks and executive producer Brad Zager’s decision to switch from Olsen to Brady next season as difficult as possible,” John Ourand of Sports Business Journal wrote.
“We have no idea what’s going to happen, so we just want to enjoy this while we can,” Erin Andrews, Fox Sports’ veteran sideline reporter, remarked of the situation.
Fox Sports director Rich Russo expressed a similar sentiment, saying, “We know the situation, but it’s not something that we’re even thinking about. It’s all about what we’re doing now. You just have no idea what’s going to happen.”
In a recent interview with The Post’s Steve Serby, Burkhardt said he hasn’t thought about Brady’s monster deal — and that he’s focused on calling the Super Bowl with Olsen on Sunday.
“Well, let’s put it this way: All the years of covering sports when you ask an athlete a question and then their answer is, ‘I’m really only focused on the next game’ — I never understood it until this year, because I truly have not thought about it, because I just can’t,” Burkhardt said.
“I am focused on the next game, which — oh, by the way — happens to be the biggest one of my career. That’s how I’ve handled it the whole way, and I sure as s–t ain’t gonna change now on the precipice of a Super Bowl.”
As for Olsen? The 37-year-old New Jersey native is aware of the situation he signed up for, but did admit that it would “suck” if Brady’s arrival ended his run with Burkhardt.
“We all know the reality,” Olsen said during an appearance on the “Waddle and Silvy” radio show on ESPN 1000 in Chicago last Tuesday. “I know what I signed up for this year. My goal — and I said this before the season even started — my goal was to try to do the best job that I could. Give people a fun listen. Give people maybe a little bit of a different perspective and insight into the game. Do the best job that I can.
“Listen, if Brady ends up retiring and coming, and decides, and that’s how everything unfolds, it sucks. But at the end of the day, I’m a big boy. I know what I signed up for. I took a chance on myself. I rolled the dice. Let’s see how it plays out.”
It’s unclear exactly when Brady will officially begin his broadcast career with Fox Sports.
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