With the NFL regular season fast approaching, Sports Media Watch takes a deep dive into each broadcast partner’s lead broadcast team. These announcers serve as the faces of NFL coverage, and as a result are among the highest-profile talent at their respective companies.
CBS: Jim Nantz and for now, J.J. Watt
For the first time since 2016, Jim Nantz will begin an NFL season without Tony Romo as his partner. The former Cowboys QB was arrested in late July for operating a vehicle while intoxicated. CBS subsequently placed him on leave, and his future with the network is uncertain.
At one point, Nantz and Romo were drawing comparisons to the legendary team of Pat Summerall and John Madden. Now, Nantz will have to build chemistry with a new partner in Watt, who has called just one full season of NFL action. Paired with the personable Ian Eagle, Watt’s rookie year in the booth was met with widespread acclaim and an Emmy nomination. Establishing the same kind of chemistry with the more straitlaced Nantz will be easier said than done.
Well before his arrest, Romo had been a sports media hot topic, coming under fire for his perceived regression in the booth. At his best, Romo could lean on his instincts as a QB, predicting plays and explaining the game through the eyes of the sport’s most important position. Where he often fell short, however, was in his analysis of offensive and defensive line play. Expect Watt, a former five-time All-Pro defensive end, to shine in this area.
Viewers should also expect fewer random grunts and unintelligible sounds, which increasingly became an issue with Romo.
The ultimate question isn’t whether Nantz and Watt will do their jobs well; it’s whether they will sound like they belong together. Nantz is 30 years Watt’s senior and comes from a more old-school broadcasting tradition. How well will their styles mesh?
Fox: Kevin Burkhardt and Tom Brady
After an underwhelming first season, Tom Brady took a significant step forward in his second year as Fox Sports’ lead NFL analyst. He sounded more relaxed and assertive, offering observations more freely rather than waiting for Burkhardt to tee him up.
There are still a couple of areas where Brady can improve. At times, his commentary bleeds into Burkhardt’s play-by-play, crowding the call and leaving little room for the natural pre-snap sounds of the game. Brady would be wise to trim some of his analysis and allow those moments to breathe.
He also occasionally falls into the habit of leaning too heavily on football jargon, which can make his commentary less accessible to the casual viewer.
While he still isn’t as authoritative as Fox #2 analyst Greg Olsen, Brady’s progress has been significant enough to silence early doubts about whether he could succeed as a television analyst. That obvious growth should give Fox even more confidence as the duo enters year three.
NBC: Mike Tirico and Cris Collinsworth
Hard as it might be to believe, Tirico and Collinsworth enter their fifth season together as the voices of “Sunday Night Football.” For viewers who value storytelling, polish, intelligence and big-game gravitas, this remains the NFL’s benchmark booth.
Both are first-rate broadcasters who — with help from an outstanding crew led by producer Rob Hyland and director Drew Esocoff — make each broadcast feel like a can’t-miss event.
At 67, Collinsworth is the oldest lead analyst in the NFL, yet his commentary still connects with a broad audience. While some mock him for being overly exuberant, he showed during last season’s Super Bowl that he will not pull punches when the situation calls for it.
Tirico’s studious play-by-play and Collinsworth’s conversation-driven analysis are still a treat for fans of NBC’s top-notch production.
ESPN: Joe Buck and Troy Aikman
Simply put, the team of Joe Buck and Troy Aikman is the gold standard in NFL broadcasting. Partners since 2002 — first at Fox and now at ESPN — they have called more than 300 regular season games and over 40 playoff games. In February, they will lead coverage of ESPN’s first Super Bowl.
Buck’s minimalist style would be kind to any analyst, but it has worked particularly well for Aikman, who consistently enhances the broadcast with insightful analysis and sharp opinions. Buck and Aikman know what they are and what they aren’t. The goal of their broadcast is not flash or flowery prose; it’s efficiency.
As Aikman explained during a recent appearance on the “Your Dark Companion” podcast: “You’ve got to be concise. You’ve got to be able to say things and get it out and have it make sense.”
While Aikman’s role as a Miami Dolphins consultant and the looming expiration of both his and Buck’s contracts are storylines worth monitoring, neither is likely to have much, if any, impact on the quality of their “Monday Night Football” broadcasts this season.
There may be questions about its studio coverage heading into its first Super Bowl, but ESPN has every reason to feel confident about its game crew, which remains the best in the league.
Netflix: Noah Eagle and Luke Kuechly
The Netflix booth is the most intriguing wildcard. Eagle, still yet to reach 30, has quickly established himself as one of the most promising young play-by-play broadcasters in sports. He brings energy without sounding frantic and he’s developed an easy, conversational style that fits the modern television audience. That style has worked on NBC’s Big Ten broadcasts, where Eagle and longtime commentator Todd Blackledge have become one of the strongest duos in college football.
Now he gets a new partner in Kuechly. The former Panthers linebacker is making his NFL TV broadcasting debut as the lead Netflix analyst after impressing executives during an audition. He will work alongside Eagle beginning with the streamer’s Sept. 10 game between the Rams and 49ers in Melbourne.
Kuechly has two assets working in his favor: youth and credibility. His expansive football knowledge is well-known among his peers and those who have followed his career. Earlier this month, he became the second-youngest player ever inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
The question is whether he can analyze the game without overexplaining it.
Netflix is in a unique position. With only five NFL games on its 2026 schedule, including a Christmas Day doubleheader, its lead booth won’t have the benefit of the rhythm that comes with a traditional weekly network package. That could create some growing pains as Eagle and Kuechly work to establish a natural chemistry without the repetition of a weekly game.
NFL Network: Dave Pasch, Kurt Warner and Jason Kelce
More airtime for Pasch and Warner is a plus for NFL fans. Pasch has waited his turn while other prominent broadcasters such as Chris Fowler and Steve Levy received assignments for which he was more than qualified. As a play-by-play announcer, Pasch checks every box. This new role provides Pasch the opportunity to prove he belongs in the upper-tier of TV play-by-play voices.
It is somewhat surprising that Warner hasn’t been given a more prominent TV analyst role. A Hall of Fame and Super Bowl-winning QB, Warner consistently offers measured analysis that doesn’t go over the head of the casual fan. This approach helped earn him the role of Westwood One lead analyst, which he has held since 2018.
Kelce is the obvious X-factor. ESPN has given the former Eagles center more than enough camera time since his 2024 hiring, but the network has too often emphasized his celebrity status over the football expertise that made him one of the most revered offensive linemen of his generation.
Shtick and humor have their place, but if ESPN wants Kelce to be viewed as a respected analyst rather than remain an overexposed personality, he must rein in some of his comedic instincts.
Amazon: Al Michaels and Kirk Herbstreit
Michaels is one of the great voices in American sports broadcasting. Herbstreit is one of football’s most accomplished analysts. Amazon paired them in 2022, and the combination — while not critically acclaimed — has given the streaming platform credibility and a professional sound.
While he is no longer at his peak, Michaels’ name still carries history and gravitas. Mistakes come more regularly than they used to, but when important games reach a climax, Michaels can still hit the occasional high note, as he did during the Packers-Bears Wild Card game in January.
Though Herbstreit is at his best on “College GameDay” and in the “Saturday Night Football” booth, he is an established name who understands the mechanics of football broadcasting as well as anyone.
This NFL season is an inflection point for Amazon Prime Video. Michaels, 81, is working on a year-to-year contract, and Herbstreit is reportedly in the final year of his deal. That makes this potentially the final season for the Michaels-Herbstreit pairing, adding another layer of intrigue to an already fascinating and evolving NFL broadcasting landscape.
