Imagining NFL on TV in the year 2030: Tom Brady out, Travis Kelce in?

You’d be stunned how many individuals play “Fantasy On-Air Staffing” within the sports activities media enterprise. I do know of 1 distinguished ESPN-er who for enjoyable would employees the corporate’s on-air expertise if ESPN ever acquired the Olympic Video games. (Since he’s already referred to as Olympic basketball many instances, put me down for Mike Breen broadcasting Olympic monitor as a change up. “Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone wins the 400-meter hurdles … Bang!”)

As a part of a question for reader questions a few weeks in the past — learn Half 1 of the media mailbag right here and Half 2 right here — I obtained a notable query from a reader named Joshua B.:

The yr is 2030. Who’re the lead play-by-play and coloration commentators for NFL protection on Amazon, CBS, ESPN, Fox and NBC? In different phrases, are there any up-and-coming play-by-play announcers and sport analysts, present gamers or coaches that can shoot as much as the highest?

Joshua’s query appeared like a enjoyable train, so I believed I’d play it out in column kind. Be at liberty to supply your ideas within the feedback.

First, 2030 isn’t that distant, and the NFL is at the moment firstly of latest agreements with its media companions that began with the 2023 season and run by way of the 2033 season. There’s a large caveat with the deal — the NFL can decide out of the offers with NBC, CBS, Fox and Amazon after seven years (the 2029 season) and Disney/ESPN the next yr. You’d must assume the NFL will try this, so we are able to’t say firmly the carriers in 2030 would be the very same ones as they’re in the present day. (I’d guess large Netflix will get in additional absolutely in 2030.)

With the big-picture contractual scenario famous above, I took a shot at how the highest NFL cubicles would possibly look in 2030 based mostly on the truth of contracts, ages and simply my very own enjoyable:

Fox: Kevin Burkhardt and Greg Olsen
ABC/ESPN: Joe Buck and Troy Aikman
CBS: Jim Nantz and Tony Romo
NBC: Mike Tirico and Mike Tomlin
Amazon: Ian Eagle and Sean McVay
Netflix: Adam Amin and Travis Kelce

Fox

My collection of Olsen is based on the speculation that Tom Brady is gone from the sales space lengthy earlier than 2030. As I wrote in my column in October about Brady’s TV future, the manufacturing restrictions round Brady’s participation “are unsustainable for the lengthy haul, and Brady will depart the sales space lengthy earlier than the top of his contract.”

Burkhardt’s bosses, Eric Shanks and Brad Zager, firmly see him as a No. 1 play-by-play voice and, at 50 years previous, he’s a relative pup among the many play-by-play names listed above. I feel Olsen hangs out as Fox’s No. 2 analyst till Brady departs, after which Olsen and Burkhardt re-establish themselves firmly as Fox’s high NFL staff.

ABC/ESPN

The best prediction of the thought train. In my view, Buck and Aikman are the perfect working broadcast staff in the present day, and their transfer to ESPN from Fox looks like it’s energized them. ESPN/ABC has the rights to Tremendous Bowl LXV in 2031, and I can’t see any dramatic modifications within the sales space earlier than that.

CBS

Had the date of the query been after 2030, I’d predict a sales space change. CBS has the rights to Tremendous Bowl LXII in 2028, and I can’t see them blowing up Nantz and Romo earlier than then given their contracts. I do know CBS could be very excessive on Matt Ryan, and it could not shock me to see him as their No. 1 sport analyst someday, however I’m sticking with Nantz and Romo — although I’m far much less certain of this than I’m Buck and Aikman.

NBC

Now it will get fascinating. Tirico is the face of the sports activities division and, at 57 years previous, he’s not going to depart anytime quickly. Present analyst Cris Collinsworth is almost a decade older, and I might see Comcast/NBC eager to attempt a brand new route by 2030. NFL producers who’re a part of pre-game manufacturing conferences with coaches have spoken usually about Tomlin, the present Pittsburgh Steelers head coach, being a can’t-miss man if he ever entered broadcasting, given his communication abilities, transparency and pedigree.

Amazon has reportedly proven nice curiosity in Sean McVay earlier than. (Cindy Ord / Getty Photographs)

Amazon

My colleague Andrew Marchand reported in 2022 that Amazon Prime Video was excessive sufficient on McVay’s potential as a TV sport analyst that a proposal was being contemplated as excessive as 5 years and $100 million for an on-air function. McVay opted to return to teaching the Los Angeles Rams, however I feel by 2030 he’s working in broadcasting, so Amazon looks like an apparent match.

I’m putting Eagle right here with the caveat that he’d be Nantz’s successor on CBS’ high NFL staff ought to Nantz depart earlier and simply concentrate on golf. Might Eagle work for each CBS (doing NCAA basketball) and Amazon (doing soccer and sure the NBA)? It’s a way more attainable situation in 2030 than 2024.

Netflix

It’s merely exhausting to see a situation the place Netflix doesn’t have an NFL bundle of video games within the 2030s. Kelce’s title recognition has exponentially elevated due to a lady named Taylor Swift (USA Right now boldly proclaimed this week that “The Kelces are the brand new royal household of media”), and he co-hosts one of the crucial widespread podcasts in America. The Kansas Metropolis Chiefs tight finish is clearly concerned about content material creation in a post-NFL life (the dude is at the moment internet hosting a sport present), and networks will line as much as carry him on board. Netflix additionally loves the crossover with celebrities given the Mike Tyson-Jake Paul promotion and different sports-adjacent merchandise.

Would Kelce be good as a sport analyst? Who is aware of? However he’ll get a job if he desires one, and so we slot him right here. Amin is a high quality broadcaster irrespective of the task and is at the moment calling NFL video games for Fox with Mark Sanchez. Let’s simply hope Amin and Kelce’s broadcast has no buffering or streaming points.

(Prime picture of Travis Kelce: Chris Delmas / AFP)