When Al Michaels greeted viewers at the top of Sunday’s Super Bowl, he remarked Cris Collinsworth was sliding up next to him for the final time. Taken at face value, it was a clever way for Michaels to introduce their last telecast of the season.
But it also foreshadowed what could be a wild offseason for NFL broadcasters, with some of the biggest names possibly switching allegiances.
Michaels is at the top of the list.
With Amazon acquiring the exclusive rights to Thursday Night Football — for a cool $1 billion annually — there is another power player in the NFL broadcasting world. The omnipresent giant is looking to fill out its NFL team, and with nearly $470 billion in annual revenue, has plenty of money to spend.
Amazon’s moves for TNF are expected to shakeup the typically staid NFL TV picture. Network play-by-play stars can stay in the same positions for decades, and analysts are usually granted the same deference as Supreme Court justices. Their cushy jobs are lifetime appointments, unless you work on ESPN’s “Monday Night Football” team. While Tony Romo did replace Phil Simms in the booth, it’s important to note he landed comfortably at CBS’ analyst desk.
But that will likely change this spring and summer. The potential madness is outlined below:
Michaels and Amazon:
Let’s start here, since Amazon is the new player in town. They’ve reportedly extended a standing offer for Michaels that could pay as much as $11 million annually. The agreement would make Michaels the signature voice for TNF, and still allow him to call a couple of NBC dates per year, including a playoff game.
But the deal isn’t done yet. “This Michaels deal has been at the 1-yard line for a long time, and Amazon has waited to see if an agreement will finally be pushed across the goal line,” writes the New York Post’s Andrew Marchand.
Michaels appears to be facing a Brady-like situation at NBC. The network hired Mike Tirico way back in 2016 to serve as Michaels’ successor. But at 77 years old, Michaels is still the best in the business. He wants to keep going, but almost certainly needs to find a new home.
So what’s the hold up with Amazon? One compelling explanation is their lack of playoff rights. If Michaels wants to call one last Super Bowl — or even a conference championship — it can’t happen on Jeff Bezos’ platform.
By hiring longtime “Sunday Night Football” producer Fred Gaudelli, Amazon is clearly trying to woo Michaels. His status will likely determine how the rest of the field plays out. Going to Amazon would represent a seismic shift.
What happens at NBC?
This scenario is less hard to figure out. Tirico is slated to call SNF full-time, and Collinsworth just signed a new contract with NBC worth $12.5 million annually. That means Tirico and Collinsworth will probably be NBC’s top team for years to come, boxing out Drew Brees, who spent the last season spouting cliches on “Football Night in America.”
Troy Aikman’s role:
Aikman wants more money. The legendary ex-Cowboys quarterback has an opt-out with Fox and told Jim Rome last week his relationship with the network is at an impasse. In a recent interview with The Athletic, Aikman said he would be open to calling TNF on Amazon.
Adding Michaels and Aikman would be a huge power grab for Amazon, which looks like it’s going to add Tony Gonzalez and Marshawn Lynch to its pregame coverage, Marchand reports. If Aikman doesn’t make the move, Amazon could pursue Brees.
Tony Romo’s record-setting $180 million contract changed the landscape for NFL analysts. Collinsworth already cashed in, and now Aikman will follow.
Leaving Fox would precipitate a huge domino effect, especially if execs don’t think Greg Olsen is ready for the top analyst job. Aikman’s absence could also cause Joe Buck to rethink his future. His contract is up at the end of next season.
The ESPN factor:
The ManningCast is locked in for another 10 games next season. Now ESPN has to figure out its actual “Monday Night Football” booth.
Steve Levy, Louis Riddick and Brian Griese were solid last year, and though the Manning brothers generated a lot of buzz, their ratings paled in comparison to the regular broadcast.
Griese’s contract is expiring, so ESPN could add another analyst. Levy could be moved elsewhere, too, if another option comes up … such as Al Michaels.
The idea of Michaels returning to Disney and finishing his career on MNF is gaining traction, and would be a fitting end to his incredible run.
Sean McVay as the new Gruden?
McVay is noticeably noncommittal about his coaching future. The Rams’ head coach has openly talked about his interest in broadcasting, and ESPN reportedly wants to pursue him.
With a Super Bowl on his resume, McVay may choose to take a break from coaching and earn $10 million to announce one game per week. That’s an excellent lifestyle choice, and would set him up for his next coaching gig — ala Jon Gruden.
McVay’s emails are probably clean, right?
Tom Brady:
The rumblings about Brady getting into some broadcasting work keep persisting. Last month, Marchand reported ESPN would be “really” interested in hiring Brady for MNF. This week, Marchand again mentioned Brady as an “intriguing wild card” for the WorldWide Leader.
It’s still hard to imagine Brady flying across the country to announce games every week. But maybe he could call a couple of special dates, and join the Manning brothers once in a while, too. Brady is already in business with ESPN, having produced a streaming series for ESPN+ and “30 for 30.”
Plus, maybe moving to the booth could save Brady’s marriage. It would be a way for him to remain around football without playing. That’s some winning relationship advice.
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Super Bowl ratings rocket back: We can now comfortably blame last year’s Super Bowl ratings drop on the weirdness of the pandemic — and possibly a little Brady fatigue. Super Bowl LIII drew 112.3 million viewers, up 15.9 million from last year’s game.
The playoffs were an incredible ratings success for the NFL, thanks to a slate of heart-palpitating finishes. Bills-Chiefs was the highest-rated NFL playoff game in five years.
This year’s Super Bowl week was the most acrimonious in a few years, with a new sexual misconduct allegation swirling around Daniel Snyder and Brian Flores accusing NFL teams of discriminatory hiring practices. But the league is teflon. Nothing can bring it down.
Halftime show was … pretty good: This year’s halftime show was made for me: a millennial nearing 30 who used to sneak “parental advisory” Eminem CDs around his mother. It was a lot better than Tom Petty, and that’s not even counting Snoop lighting it up before the performance.
But the best ever? I don’t think so. Give me a Prince any day.
Brady’s needed hiatus: Brady’s annoying podcast with Jim Gray is on hiatus until August. Yay. Somehow, Brady has been more overexposed in his two-week retirement than he was as a player.
Content to sit out minicamp, Brady probably wouldn’t be compelled to come back until the summer, anyway. That’s what Favre did, and Brady is already following in his footsteps.