NFL Rumors: Al Michaels Expected to Return to 'Thursday Night Football' in 2025

Legendary play-by-play announcer Al Michaels is reportedly expected to return to the broadcast booth next season as part of Amazon Prime Video's coverage of NFL Thursday Night Football.

According to Andrew Marchand of The Athletic, Michaels' three-year contract with Amazon concludes at the end of this season, but both he and Amazon believe he will be back in the same role next season.

Michaels, 80, is reportedly earning $15 million per year under his current deal, and his plan is to take things "year-by-year" as it relates to his broadcasting future.

While Michaels' most famous call was Team USA's "Miracle on Ice" win over Russia in men's hockey at the 1980 Winter Olympics, he is best known for his work as an NFL play-by-play announcer dating back to the 1970s.

Michaels served in that role at both NBC and CBS in the '70s before finding a more permanent home with ABC as the play-by-play announcer for Monday Night Football from 1986 through 2005.

He then went back to NBC in 2006, serving as the Sunday Night Football play-by-play man through 2021.

When Thursday Night Football officially made the move to Amazon Prime Video in 2022, Amazon brought in Michaels and longtime ABC/ESPN college football analyst Kirk Herbstreit to serve as the announce team.

As of now, Michaels is only contracted to remain with Amazon Prime Video through the end of the 2024 NFL season, which includes calling a Wild Card Round playoff game.

Both Michaels and Amazon declined to comment on his status beyond that, but Marchand noted that Michaels has said he "will know when it is time" to retire.

It doesn't sound as though retirement is a consideration for Michaels right now, and every indication is that one of the most iconic voices in football history will be back in the booth next season.