Al Michaels will be on the call for Saturday night’s Wild Card matchup between the Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears, and it won’t be his last broadcast for Prime Video.
Michaels has been Amazon’s voice of Thursday Night Football since 2022, and a prime-time NFL announcer for more than four decades. And according to Sports Business Journal’s Richard Deitsch, Prime Video has confirmed Michaels will return as its lead play-by-play voice for the 2026 season.
Throughout the season, Michaels has maintained his expectation of returning to the Prime Video booth next year.
“I always felt, I’ll go as long as I can or I’m wanted, but I have to be able to know that I can do the game at the level that satisfies me,” Michaels told Christopher ‘Mad Dog’ Russo earlier this week. “If I feel not what I have been or the way I perceive myself to have been, that’ll be time to step away, I don’t feel that way right now.”
In November, Michaels similarly told SI Media’s Jimmy Traina that he wants to come back next season, but recognized it’s a two-way street. “They could tell me, ‘Hey, we got to move on, it’s time to make a transition.’ That could happen.”
But according to Deitsch, that won’t happen, with Prime Video already confirming plans to bring the 81-year-old broadcaster back for at least one more season. While there has been widespread criticism from NFL fans that the legendary announcer has experienced a decline this season, Michaels and Prime Video appear to be satisfied with his performance.
Michaels had several unflattering moments for a Hall of Fame announcer this season. He struggled during a game between the Los Angeles Chargers and San Francisco 49ers in October when he botched a goal line call and appeared confused by a penalty. And when one of the best games of the season between the Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks in Week 16 was played on Thursday Night Football, Michaels failed to meet the moment.
But at 81-years-old, Michaels remains a capable announcer with a legacy large enough to carry him through some of those bad moments in the booth. And after working this season on a one-year contract, it looks like he’s set to return for at least one more.
About Brandon Contes
Brandon Contes is a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. He previously helped carve the sports vertical for Mediaite and spent more than three years with Barrett Sports Media. Send tips/comments/complaints to bcontes@thecomeback.com