Travis Kelce. Briana Sanchez / USA TODAY NETWORK

Travis Kelce talks up Greg Olsen after Fox demotion: 'They kind of did him dirty'

By Michael Gallagher | Last updated 5/17/24

Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce understands why Fox made the decision to bump Greg Olsen to its No. 2 analyst role in favor of Tom Brady. But that doesn’t mean he has to like it.

During a recent episode of his “New Heights” podcast, Kelce had his fellow tight end’s back, stating he didn’t approve of the way the station had seemingly just cast Olsen aside and cut his pay from $10 million per season to $3M.

“I love my guy Greg Olsen,” Kelce said. “They kind of did him dirty over there at Fox. But I mean, it’s Tom Brady, what can you do, right? Sometimes you just got to do your thing. And Greg does a [expletive] tremendous job. He called our Super Bowl game and he was…fantastic doing that.”

Greg Olsen breaks down the Patrick Mahomes touchdown pass to Travis Kelce. #SuperBowl pic.twitter.com/5Yykw5PaGA
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) February 13, 2023

Kelce’s brother Jason, who is also stepping into broadcasting as an analyst for ESPN’s “Monday Night Football” pregame show, chimed in in agreement, commending the job Olsen did breaking down plays and explaining them to viewers from a player’s standpoint.

“I try not to be biased against the commentators and the color guys, but I think Greg is phenomenal at it,” Jason added. “You can tell he makes it a point to really know what he’s talking about.”

Olsen has been heralded as one of, if not the top in-game analyst in the NFL on any broadcast. Unfortunately for him, his demotion had less to do with his actual ability and more to do with Brady’s star power.

After all, demoting Olsen to the No. 2 broadcast is an easier pill to swallow for Fox than having to tell Brady he has to play second fiddle to a tight end, even if he was a three-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro.

Travis Kelce and Olsen are close friends off the field. The two partnered together along with San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle to launch Tight End University, an annual three-day summit in Nashville, Tenn., that brings together tight ends from around the NFL to break down film, exchange tips for playing the position and get in some extra on-field training.

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