Predicting next season’s top NFL broadcast booths

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Credit: imagn images, Fox, ESPN

Traditionally, NFL broadcasting assignments are treated with the permanence and reverence of Supreme Court appointments.

Once you’re 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.

Tony Romo has found that out the hard way after CBS benched him following his OWI arrest this offseason.

Beyond that, it’s a job that you are in until you retire or you’re replaced by someone who signs a $375 million contract.

But Romo’s 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. Greg Olsen could finally hit the market looking for a top job. And either Kirk Herbstreit or Al Michaels or both could be about to say goodbye at Amazon.

So with the 2026 NFL season almost here, let’s 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.

NBC: Mike Tirico and Cris Collinsworth
Fox: Kevin Burkhardt and Tom Brady
Netflix: Noah Eagle and Luke Kuechly

Let’s 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’t going anywhere, unless of course Brady wants to join WWE full-time so he can continue doing whatever it is he’s doing with Logan Paul.

On the play-by-play side, both Tirico and Burkhardt are entrenched as the faces of their respective networks’ 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’s next Super Bowl.

For Netflix, Noah Eagle and Luke Kuechly were just named as their lead broadcast crew for their five game package this season. While Kuechly has impressed in spot appearances, he’s still something of an unknown quantity as this will be his biggest broadcasting spotlight by far. However, at this point there’s nothing to suggest he isn’t ready for the role.

ESPN: Joe Buck and Troy Aikman

While there was some news this week that Buck and Aikman’s 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, it was one of the smartest decisions any sports network has made this century.

Before Buck and Aikman, ESPN had been through several attempts at forming a top-level Monday Night Football broadcast booth. Remember Jason Witten? Booger McFarland in a cart? The Tony Kornheiser experiment? That’s not even to mention that ESPN’s relationship with the NFL was at an all-time low and the schedule itself was dreadful.

Now ESPN is partly-owned by the NFL. The network has invested tens of millions of dollars into Monday Night Football to make it a premier platform yet again. And it’s been an overwhelming success. Could a streamer like Amazon step in and make the pair an offer they can’t refuse by offering a moon base funded by Jeff Bezos? Perhaps. But that’s the kind of other-worldly offer it would take to pry Buck and Aikman away from ESPN.

CBS: Jim Nantz and Greg Olsen

This is the first major domino to fall. Greg Olsen has made no secret of his desire to be a lead analyst once again. And wouldn’t you know his Fox contract is coming up just when the NFL’s other Sunday afternoon broadcaster is experiencing a crisis at their lead analyst spot.

While the future of Tony Romo is certainly up in the air, he’s 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’s 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.

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.

Amazon: Kevin Harlan and Travis Kelce

Expect this to be the last year of Al Michaels and Kirk Herbstreit. Michaels has been on a year-to-year contract with Amazon 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.

As for who steps into the analyst spot, this is a seat that looks like it’s being kept warm for Travis Kelce. The Chiefs tight end already has a deal with Amazon with his New Heights podcast and the streamer could certainly satisfy his salary demands. The major question is who would step in and do play-by-play?

Ian Eagle and Kevin Harlan would seem to be the natural choices as both already work with the platform calling NBA games. Eagle is more entrenched at CBS with the network’s number two team in the NFL and as the lead voice for college basketball. Harlan deserves a lead gig and it’s more likely CBS would give their blessing to allow him the Amazon opportunity if it meant stepping away from Sunday afternoons. His veteran presence could not only capably fill the shoes of Al Michaels, but also help guide Kelce through what would be his rookie season.

The post Predicting next season’s top NFL broadcast booths appeared first on Awful Announcing.

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