There's been a bit of an announcing arms race in the NFL media space in recent years. FOX loaded up with color commentator Tom Brady this offseason, a spot that's only available because the dynamic duo of Joe Buck and Troy Aikman bolted to ESPN back in 2022. Tony Romo joined CBS in 2017 and is considered one of the best in the business.
"Sunday Night Football" on NBC will return the pairing of Mike Tirico and Cris Collinsworth for a third straight year, and they'll open the season this Thursday in Kansas City to call Ravens vs Chiefs .
Amazon agreed to pay the NFL a staggering $1 billion a season back in 2022 to air Thursday Night Football Games. The duo of Al Michael and Kirk Herbstreit open their campaign in Miami for Bills vs Dolphins on September 12.
Here's a quick look at how the NBC and Amazon contracts compare:
NBC: Mike Tirico and Cris Collinsworth
Tirico replaced Michaels in 2022 and has called Sunday Night Football games for NBC ever since. He earns around $10.5 million a year, per Andrew Marchand .
That figure also accounts for his NBC work at the Olympics and other sporting events, a role that should expand in the future following the network's involvement in the recent NBA rights deal.
Collinsworth joined the NBC booth as a color commentator back in 2009 to replace the legendary John Maddon. He signed a $12.5 million-per-year contract in 2021 that is set to expire following the 2025 season.
Amazon: Al Michaels and Kirk Herbstreit
The legendary Michaels, 80, joined Amazon in 2022 after working on Sunday Night Football alongside Collinsworth from 2005-2021. He's still officially an employee "emeritus" at NBC but makes a stunning $1 million a game with Amazon.
His contract is set to expire in 2025 and is mulling retirement: " I told Amazon that I'd do three years and next year will be three, and I'm definitely doing it. We'll see after that."
Herbsreit is on double-duty for the third season in a row, covering the NFL on Thursday nights for Amazon before rushing off to for his weekend college football commitments with ESPN.
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Herbstreit's Amazon contract pays him roughly $10 million a season and his ESPN gig earns him a further $8 million, netting him a cool $18 million overall.
His schedule can be hellacious: Herbstreit flew over 5700 one week in September 2023 for work. He traveled from his home in Ohio on Thursday to call the New York Giants vs San Francisco 49ers game in the Bay Area. He then flew back home to watch his son's Friday night football game.
Then, Herbsreit flew to South Bend, Indiana for College GameDay at Notre Dame. He hopped on another flight that afternoon, flying to Baton Rouge to call Arkansas vs LSU. Finally, he returned home on Sunday to Ohio.
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