Joe Buck is not the only NFL announcer getting a huge payday to change networks this offseason.
According to Andrew Marchand of the New York Write-up, famous enjoy-by-enjoy broadcaster Al Michaels is taking his skills to Amazon Prime Video, exactly where he’ll phone their “Thursday Evening Soccer” broadcasts — and he is having a great deal of income to do it. Marchand noted that Michaels is acquiring a contract in the array of Buck’s new ESPN contract, which is reportedly for $75 million around five several years. Michaels is obtaining a three calendar year agreement, but the precise dollar quantity is not identified.
Michaels experienced formerly accomplished participate in-by-participate in for NBC’s “Sunday Night Football” together with previous broadcast associate Cris Collinsworth, and known as his document-tying 11th Tremendous Bowl in February. But Michaels’ agreement with NBC had run out, and he was free to indication anywhere. It seems he is settled on Amazon Prime Movie, which will commence its unique “Thursday Night time Football” broadcasts subsequent year.
Collinsworth responded to the information on Monday by sharing video clip of his remaining introduction by Michaels from February’s Tremendous Bowl.
Marchand noted that it took “months and months” of negotiations with Amazon to settle the agreement, as Michaels wanted to see if ESPN or Fox would arrive contacting with an present. It can be not apparent if they at any time did.
With Collinsworth remaining at NBC to simply call “Sunday Evening Football” with Mike Tirico, Michaels’ substitute, Michaels will obviously have to have a new broadcast lover. According to Marchand, Kirk Herbstreit will be filling that part on Amazon Prime Online video. No information about Herbstreit’s deal were available, but Marchand reported that it’s for eight figures.
Herbstreit is nonetheless underneath contract at ESPN, but he’s authorized to phone games for other networks. He’ll continue on to simply call college or university game titles and appear on “College or university GameDay.” He also wasn’t Michaels’ to start with option, in accordance to Marchand. Michaels reportedly required to be paired with Troy Aikman or Sean McVay, and Amazon pursued them each. Having said that, Aikman defected from Fox to join ESPN and McVay, clean off a Super Bowl earn with the Los Angeles Rams, chose to keep on being a head mentor.
Michaels, 77, has referred to as “Sunday Night Football” for NBC since 2006, and in advance of that known as “Monday Evening Soccer” for ABC Athletics, starting off way again in 1986. For each Marchand, Michaels is nonetheless expected to contact numerous games a 12 months for NBC.
