NFL commentators are on the move this off-season. In a game of musical chairs we haven’t seen in a while, it’s interesting to look deeper into these moves and what it means for football fans. Nostalgia and sports go hand-in-hand, and the voices that go along with sports play a big part in that.
The information on who is going where for this post comes from Andrew Marchand of the New York Post. You can find his article here.
ESPN’s Monday Night Football
The first NFL commentators on the move we’ll discuss are from Fox Sports. Troy Aikman has already inked a deal with ESPN to take over Monday Night Football. His longtime partner Joe Buck is also expected to be headed there soon to join him. They will be replacing the trio of Steve Levy, Louis Riddick Jr. and Brian Griese who have been in the MNF booth for about two years. While they were never a fan favorite, I found them to be a safe and acceptable group. Griese is leaving ESPN to be the quarterbacks coach of the 49ers. And Riddick is interviewing with the Steelers for their GM position.
ESPN has ultimately struggled with MNF since taking over the product in 2006. Their best run came from 2009-2015 with the pairing of Mike Tirico and Jon Gruden. In the six years since they have had three different play-by-play announcers and five color commentators.
Buck and Aikman should provide ESPN with high level production like they haven’t had in some time. Which is good, considering how many fans favored “The Manning Cast” to the regular TV broadcast last year. For those of us that would rather watch the game than get distracted with the hilarious and insightful stories of the Manning Brothers (I swear I mean that in a good way – I just wouldn’t pay attention to the games because Peyton and Eli were so interesting!) this will be a positive. And between the two different telecasts, ESPN should have a satisfying broadcast for all fans week in and week out.
NBC’s Sunday Night Football
Sunday Night Football will also be going through a major change. Mike Tirico will be replacing the great Al Michaels as Cris Collinsworth’s partner. This is a significant change. Michaels has been on SNF since it came over from ESPN in 2006, and been partners with Collinsworth since 2010. Michaels is the voice behind The Miracle On Ice, 11 total Super Bowls (5 with NBC) and a handful of MLB World Series games.
Mike Tirico will be replacing Michaels. Tirico is no slouch, but will have big shoes to fill. Although he has been with NBC since 2016, and has subbed in for Michaels with Collinsworth from time to time. So chemistry should not be an issue. Tirico also did MNF for ESPN for 10 years and was excellent. So he definitely has the chops for the role.
Michaels is not necessarily done yet. He could be headed to a new home any time now…
Amazon’s Thursday Night Football
Amazon Prime Video will be taking over Thursday Night Football this season. Having broadcasted a handful of games over the last couple of years, they are not just about ready to take over a full slate. Kirk Herbstreit of ESPN is already signed on as an analyst for the season. Herbstreit will take on this new role, while staying on with ESPN as a college football analyst.
Amazon has yet to close a deal with Herbstreit’s partner. Al Michaels is reportedly very close to signing a deal with Amazon to be their voice of the broadcast. Adding Michaels will provide a huge boost in legitimacy to a brand new broadcast.
Fox Sport’s Top Team
The final NFL commentators on the move we’ll talk about are moving up, not out. With the departure of their top team, it looks like Fox Sports could be calling up Kevin Burkhardt and Greg Olsen. Potentially even calling their Super Bowl in 2027.
Burkhardt began calling games for Fox in 2013. Coming over from a baseball background he started out on Fox’s number four team with John Lynch and Erin Andrews. I’d say the trio has all ascended in their own rights since then. Burkhardt was part of Fox’s number two team this year with former NFL Tight End Greg Olsen.
It was Olsen’s first year calling games, retiring after the 2020 season. Olsen was really strong in the booth on game days. He brought great detail from a pass-catcher standpoint that we don’t normally get in a broadcast. He also has a great personality for calling games, with the ability to freely flow from topic to topic as the game goes. Olsen is much better in the booth than the studio, where the time constraints tripped him up a bit.
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