kurt warner Feb 4, 2017; Houston, TX, USA; NFL former player Kurt Warner speaks with the media after being elected into the NFL Hall of Fame during the 6th Annual NFL Honors at Wortham Theater. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

You might hear a slightly unfamiliar voice in the broadcast booth during the December 16th Bears-Lions game on NFL Network or the Christmas night matchup between the Steelers and Texans on NBC and NFL Network. NBC announced Tuesday that NFL GameDay Morning studio analyst Kurt Warner will call those two games alongside Mike Tirico, in place of usual color commentator Cris Collinsworth.

Though this will be Warner’s first game action for NBC, he has worked as an NFL game analyst on both Fox and Westwood One, and as an Arena League game analyst for NFL Network.

Collinsworth will still work the NBC broadcasts on December 17th and 23rd.

“There is nothing I enjoy more than being at the stadium on game day – being able to watch the action up close and experience the energy of the fans – so I am extremely excited about joining Mike, Heather and the entire NBC team as an analyst for these two games in December,” said Warner, the only player in NFL history with three 350-yard passing games in the Super Bowl. “I look forward to using my unique experiences to contribute to NBC’s already incredible coverage of the NFL.”

In previous years Doug Flutie (and before him, Mike Mayock) has served as the primary backup to Collinsworth on NBC’s broadcasts, but Warner will be getting the role this season.

Warner, of course, played 12 years in the NFL, throwing for 32,344 and 208 touchdowns. He won the 1999 NFL MVP award and led the Rams to a Super Bowl victory the following year, winning game MVP honors. This past summer, Warner was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

The former quarterback joined NFL Network as an analyst in 2010 and has since worked on NFL GameDay Morning on Sundays and NFL Total Access during the week.

[NBC Sports]

About Alex Putterman

Alex is a writer and editor for The Comeback and Awful Announcing. He has written for The Atlantic, VICE Sports, MLB.com, SI.com and more. He is a proud alum of Northwestern University and The Daily Northwestern. You can find him on Twitter @AlexPutterman.