Traditionally, NFL broadcasting assignments are treated with the permanence and reverence of Supreme Court appointments.<\/p>\n
Once you\u2019re in and you have gained entrance into that very exclusive club of lead NFL network announcers, it usually takes something remarkable to get you out.<\/p>\n
Tony Romo has found that out the hard way after CBS benched him following his OWI arrest<\/a> this offseason.<\/p>\n Beyond that, it\u2019s a job that you are in until you retire or you\u2019re replaced by someone who signs a $375 million contract.<\/p>\n But Romo\u2019s suspension and uncertain future also comes with other top NFL broadcasters seeing a highly unusual amount of intrigue and potential change. With ESPN and ABC airing the Super Bowl this year, the contracts of Troy Aikman and Joe Buck are up<\/a>. Greg Olsen could finally hit the market<\/a> looking for a top job. And either Kirk Herbstreit or Al Michaels or both could be about to say goodbye at Amazon.<\/p>\n So with the 2026 NFL season almost here, let\u2019s take a way too early look at how the potential free agent and retirement moves may shake out and what the top booths will be for the 2027 season.<\/p>\n NBC: Mike Tirico and Cris Collinsworth<\/strong> Let\u2019s start with the no-brainers. Cris Collinsworth is signed through Super Bowl LXIV after the 2029 season in February 2030. Likewise, Tom Brady is signed through the 2032 season when Fox will broadcast Super Bowl LXVII in February 2033. Those two aren\u2019t going anywhere, unless of course Brady wants to join WWE full-time so he can continue doing whatever it is he\u2019s doing with Logan Paul<\/a>.<\/p>\n On the play-by-play side, both Tirico and Burkhardt are entrenched as the faces of their respective networks\u2019 sports departments and have both excelled in their jobs. Expect these pairings to stick together for the long-term with the next possible change coming if Collinsworth decides to hang up the mic after NBC\u2019s next Super Bowl.<\/p>\n For Netflix, Noah Eagle and Luke Kuechly were just named as their lead broadcast crew<\/a> for their five game package this season. While Kuechly has impressed in spot appearances, he\u2019s still something of an unknown quantity as this will be his biggest broadcasting spotlight by far. However, at this point there\u2019s nothing to suggest he isn\u2019t ready for the role.<\/p>\n ESPN: Joe Buck and Troy Aikman<\/strong><\/p>\n While there was some news this week that Buck and Aikman\u2019s contracts are up after this season with ESPN\/ABC broadcasting the Super Bowl, it would take a truly remarkable series of circumstances to see these two go anywhere else but ESPN. When the worldwide leader in sports signed both away from Fox in 2022<\/a>, it was one of the smartest decisions any sports network has made this century.<\/p>\n Before Buck and Aikman, ESPN had been through several attempts at forming a top-level\u00a0Monday Night Football\u00a0broadcast booth. Remember Jason Witten? Booger McFarland in a cart? The Tony Kornheiser experiment? That\u2019s not even to mention that ESPN\u2019s relationship with the NFL was at an all-time low<\/a> and the schedule itself was dreadful.<\/p>\n Now ESPN is partly-owned by the NFL. The network has invested tens of millions of dollars into\u00a0Monday Night Football\u00a0to make it a premier platform yet again. And it\u2019s been an overwhelming success. Could a streamer like Amazon step in and make the pair an offer they can\u2019t refuse by offering a moon base funded by Jeff Bezos? Perhaps. But that\u2019s the kind of other-worldly offer it would take to pry Buck and Aikman away from ESPN.<\/p>\n CBS: Jim Nantz and Greg Olsen<\/strong><\/p>\n This is the first major domino to fall. Greg Olsen has made no secret of his desire to be a lead analyst<\/a> once again. And wouldn\u2019t you know his Fox contract is coming up just when the NFL\u2019s other Sunday afternoon broadcaster is experiencing a crisis at their lead analyst spot.<\/p>\n While the future of Tony Romo is certainly up in the air, he\u2019s not returning to his lead spot alongside Jim Nantz. CBS made that clear when they announced J.J. Watt would move up to the number two team in the wake of Romo\u2019s indefinite leave\/suspension. Watt has all the tools to impress and win the job permanently. However, CBS also has a very slim depth chart when it comes to top-level NFL analysts who you would expect to hear calling playoff games.<\/p>\n Signing Olsen would be welcomed by NFL fans, happy to see him restored to the spot that was taken away and back in the Super Bowl rotation. And Watt could then be paired back up with Ian Eagle in the second broadcast team to bring back their popular duo, leaving CBS with a 1 and 1A setup that would be arguably the best in the business.<\/p>\n Amazon: Kevin Harlan and Travis Kelce<\/strong><\/p>\n Expect this to be the last year of Al Michaels and Kirk Herbstreit. Michaels has been on a year-to-year contract with Amazon<\/a> and has made no public reference to considering retirement. However, he surely has to recognize that the end is near given the reviews of his current performances in the broadcast booth in spite of his legendary status. It would make sense for him to step aside with Herbstreit also in a contract year as their partnership has never truly clicked.<\/p>\n
Fox: Kevin Burkhardt and Tom Brady
Netflix: Noah Eagle and Luke Kuechly<\/strong><\/p>\n