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While there is plenty of chatter about what will happen in football media this offseason—including where Mike Tomlin will land—one titan of the industry will be up in multiple jobs after next season.
Kirk Herbstreit’s contracts with both ESPN and Amazon are up after the 2026–27 football season, Front Office Sports has confirmed. The Wall Street Journal reported when Herbstreit signed with Amazon in 2022 that it was a five-year deal, and Herbstreit publicly acknowledged in an interview with The Athletic this past September that his deal with ESPN expires after next season.
Since Herbstreit took the Amazon job, his schedule has been grueling. Even with the comforts of private jet travel, it’s a wild itinerary every week to fly between his home in the Nashville area and Thursday Night Football, College GameDay, and ESPN/ABC’s college football game of the week. (Herbstreit, with the help of the FOS social team, has documented his travels, with some weeks reaching over 4,000 miles.)
Nevertheless, Herbstreit has publicly said he’d like to keep this frenetic schedule, telling The Athletic last year that he had considered dropping GameDay from the docket until he felt reenergized by Pat McAfee.
“I had to look myself in the mirror and be like, can I do all three (jobs)?” Herbstreit said. “Pat coming on the show, it’s been a game-changer for me and for the show. He brings a certain level of intensity and energy. Him and I have a great relationship.”
On whether he could maintain his packed schedule, Herbstreit told The Athletic, “I’m loving the NFL. I would never want to leave that job on Thursday, and I love GameDay. I can’t imagine not sitting in that seat. It’s a dream to have all three of these. I hope to be able to sign an extension at some point with both Amazon and ESPN.”
GameDay set a ratings record in 2024, and then another one in 2025.
Amazon recently confirmed to Sports Business Journal that Herbstreit’s play-by-play partner, the 81-year-old Al Michaels, will return next season. Michaels has been working on year-to-year deals.
