Legendary play-by-play voice Al Michaels signed a three-year contract to call Thursday Night Football for Amazon Prime Video in 2022.
When that deal expired after the 2024 season, Amazon brought Michaels back for the 2025 campaign on a one-year deal, with the plan being to take things on a year-by-year basis when it comes to being the play-by-play voice of TNF.
If Michaels, who has been calling NFL games since 1975, has his way, he will be back for the 2026 season.
During an appearance on this week’s SI Media With Jimmy Traina, the 81-year-old Michaels said he wants to return to Amazon and Thursday Night Football.
“I feel really good right now. It’s been a good year. A lot of fun. I love the people I’m working with. So if I had to make a decision today, I would want to come back. It’s a two-way street here. They could tell me, ‘Hey, we gotta move on. it’s time to make a transition.’ All that. It could happen.
“But as of the moment, as we sit here on this mid-November afternoon, I feel really good. Still love what I do. And again, work with a tremendous crew. So, yeah, I think at this moment in time, I’d like to continue, yes.”
Michaels’ TNF partner, Kirk Herbstreit, initially inked a five-year contract with Amazon in 2022, so he is signed through next season.
After being saddled with a subpar schedule in the first couple of years of Thursday Night Football, the NFL has boosted the quality of games for Amazon, which has a very strong schedule the rest of the season. For the second season in a row, Michaels and Herbstreit will also call a wild-card playoff game.
You can listen to Michaels’ full appearance on SI Media With Jimmy Traina below or on Apple and Spotify.
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