Even as play-by-play stalwarts like Fox’s Greg Olsen, ESPN’s Joe Buck and Troy Aikman and Amazon’s Al Michaels and Kirk Herbstreit give fans real-time details and analysis for Fox’s Sunday afternoon pigskin sessions, ESPN’s “Monday Night Football” and Amazon’s “Thursday Night Football” they may be thinking about something else. Each of these chroniclers of the gridiron knows his contract with the media company backing their prominent perches ends after the current season, according to three people familiar with the situation.
Now Fox Sports, ESPN and Amazon must decide whether they need the services of these popular (and sometimes high-priced) veterans going forward, at a time when the NFL appears keen to gain new cash from its relationships with U.S. media companies.
People familiar with the market estimate top football-booth personnel can earn between $15 million and $20 million per season. Fox Sports, Amazon, ESPN and CBS Sports all declined to make executives available for comment.
With media economics in massive flux, some companies may question how much they can pay top announcing talent — and the end of a contract could give them a chance to examine their cash flow. At Amazon, it’s understood that Al Michaels is on a year-to-year contract, while Herbstreit, who also plays a pivotal role in calling college football games for ESPN and makes regular appearances on the popular “College GameDay,” works a superhuman schedule during football season.
The TV networks still have reason to please the NFL. The league has an option to renew its current 11-year deals starting after the 2029 season. Keeping top talent in the booth clearly helps relationships with the league, and none of the media conglomerates can afford to lose NFL access altogether. “Nobody wants the NFL product to be weakened,” says Scanlan.
Still, the networks’ coffers aren’t infinite. The more sports fees go up, the less cash there is for top salaries, new series and more personnel. Eventually, something has to give. That’s when TV companies stop playing football and start considering financial chess. When it comes to the NFL, says Scanlan, “you want to be careful with any decision you make.”
