Ian Eagle isn’t sure what’s next: ‘We’ll see where the road takes me’

Ian Eagle isn’t quite sure what the future holds for him.

In the immediate term, ‘The Bird’ will occupy CBS’s No. 2 NFL booth opposite Ross Tucker as the latest domino to fall from Tony Romo’s arrest and subsequent leave. At 57, Eagle now finds himself on his third booth partner in as many years, having called games with Charles Davis, J.J. Watt, and now Tucker, though none of that suggests he has his eye trained on another network.

It doesn’t mean another network hasn’t got its eye trained on him, though.

“I’ve been doing this a long time, and I’ve been fortunate to work for a bunch of different networks,” Eagle told Awful Announcing regarding his future at last week’s CBS Media Day. “So whichever network I’ve worked for, I give them everything that I have, and that has never changed. I’m aware of the business on my attention.”

Eagle would have no reason NOT to give a stock answer, but there’s plenty of speculation that he could move to another network, one he already calls games for. Employed by Amazon as the streamer’s lead NBA play-by-play voice, Eagle finds himself as the logical heir apparent to Al Michaels. The 81-year-old Michaels might occupy a permanent spot on the Mount Rushmore of play-by-play announcers, but with his deal structured on a year-to-year basis and his current form leaving a lot to be desired, it’s certainly plausible the 2026 season could serve as his swan song in the booth.

Kirk Herbstreit is in a similar boat, given that his three-year deal with Prime Video expires after the season, as does his College GameDay contract. Herbstreit, who turns 57 later this week, has struggled at times to juggle both jobs at once. He and Michaels, however awkward their pairing has appeared from the outset, remain linked in the public eye, and it would stand to reason that Amazon would want to reset the clock on the booth as currently constructed.

There’s also the Greg Olsen of this all. The former star tight end has made no secret of his desire to return to a top booth, meaning that if there is an opening at another network, Olsen is almost a guarantee to explore it. In fact, his current contract includes a clause that lets him bolt for a top job should one become available. It’s not hard to envision Amazon willing to spare no expense to remodel what’s become one of sports media’s most scrutinized announcing duos, particularly with the streamer angling itself for a far bigger slice of the NFL’s next media rights cycle once it comes up for bidding.

Still, Eagle, who is also the voice of March Madness for CBS, isn’t in any rush to look too far down the road. Asked about his future and the possibility of another shakeup in the NFL booth hierarchy, he acknowledged that his career has taught him not to assume he knows what’s coming next.

“I always like what’s happening within the industry. So that was like a few years ago; I’m not sure what’s going to happen next,” Eagle said. “I think what I’ve learned is if you expect it to go a certain way, you’re probably barking up the wrong tree. So I’ve probably been a bit more of in the moment at this stage of my career, and we’ll see where the road takes me.”

For now, Eagle is taking things one step at a time. But given the uncertainty surrounding both CBS and Amazon’s NFL booths, there may be a few more turns in the road before he figures out where he’s headed.