Who is the highest paid NFL announcer? The 2024 NFL season is here and that means countless of primetime games on Sunday Night Football, Monday Night Football, Thursday Night Football and on FOX and CBS. With pro football more popular than ever, some of the highest-paid NFL broadcasters are pulling in nearly as much as active NFL players.
Below, we’ll take a look at the top salaries among NFL announcers and broadcasters. We’ll also provide a bit of perspective, comparing each broadcaster’s salary to an NFL player in a similar range. Here are the highest paid NFL broadcasters in 2024.
1. Tom Brady – FOX – Lead Analyst – $37.5 million
Tom Brady is the highest-paid broadcaster ever heading into his first season as FOX’s top NFL analyst. Brady’s first NFL game as a broadcaster came in Week 1 for a matchup between the Dallas Cowboys vs New England Patriots. To put Brady’s salary into perspective, he is making more money combined than the next two highest paid NFL broadcasters in 2024.
- NFL salary comparison: New Orleans Saints QB Derek Carr – 4 years, $37.5 million per season
Related: Best NFL players of all time
How much is Tom Brady making with FOX?
FOX signed Brady to a 10-year, $375 million contract to serve as its lead analyst for its top broadcast beginning with the 2024 NFL season. In addition to serving his role as a broadcaster, Brady is an ambassador for Fox Sports and serves as one of the most public faces of the network.
Related: Insider reveals if NFL will allow Tom Brady to become Las Vegas Raiders owner
2. Troy Aikman – ESPN – Lead Analyst – $18 million
Troy Aikman, the former Dallas Cowboys quarterback, became a color commentator for FOX in 2021. He quickly became one of the top broadcasters in the NFL, calling multiple Super Bowls with FOX across 20 seasons before leaving in 2022 to become ESPN’s Monday Night Football lead analyst. Aikman signed a 5-year, $90 million contract, per Front Office Sports, making him the second-highest-paid broadcaster in sports.
- NFL salary comparison: Jacksonville Jaguars WR Christian Kirk – 4 years, $18 million per season
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3. Kirk Herbstreit – Amazon/ESPN – $18 million (total)
Kirk Herbstreit is the busiest sports broadcaster in football, serving as the face of both ESPN and Amazon. Herbstreit serves as a lead analyst for College Football Gameday and serves as ABC’s lead game analyst for its top broadcasts. He signed a multi-year extension with ESPN in 2022 and joined Amazon as the streaming service’s lead analyst for Thursday Night Football. Herbstreit makes approximately $10 million per year in his contract with Amazon and $8 million per season from Disney for his work on ESPN and ABC.
- NFL salary comparison: Chicago Bears LB Tremaine Edmunds – 4 years, $18 million per season
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4. Tony Romo – CBS – Lead Analyst – $17.5 million
Following his retirement as the Dallas Cowboys quarterback in 2016, Tony Romo followed Troy Aikman’s footsteps to the broadcast booth. CBS hired him as its lead color analyst, putting him alongside Jim Nantz. After earning universal praise from 2017-’19, Romo signed a multi-year deal through 2023 that pays him $17.5 million per season. He held the title of highest paid NFL broadcaster until Aikman and Brady signed their TV deals with FOX and ESPN.
- NFL salary comparison: Cleveland Browns WR Jerry Jeudy – 3 year, $17.5 million per season
Related: Highest paid NFL players
5. Joe Buck – ESPN – Play-by-Play – $13-15 million
After a storied career with FOX Sports, serving as the network’s lead analyst for MLB and NFL games, Joe Buck made the jump to ESPN’s Monday Night Football before the 2022 season. FOX reportedly offered a multi-year deal valued at $12 million per season to keep him, but he ultimately chose ESPN’s offer. Andrew Marchand reported at the time that the deal is between $13 to $15 million per year, on a five-year contract worth an estimated $60 to $75 million total. Buck is the highest-paid play-by-play broadcaster in sports.
- NFL salary comparison: San Francisco 49ers TE George Kittle – 5 years, $15 million per season
Related: NFL power rankings
6. Al Michaels – Amazon – Play-by-Play – $15 million
The legendary sports broadcaster known for his call of the “Miracle On Ice”, play-by-play man Al Michaels joined Amazon to be the lead voice of its Thursday Night Football broadcast beginning in the 2022 season. Michaels still does 1 playoff game for NBC each year, but his primary duties are as the play-by-play guy for 16 Thursday Night Football games every NFL season. Andrew Marchand reported in 2022 that Michaels receives approximately $1 million for every game he broadcasts for Amazon. In total, he pulls in around $15–$16 million per season.
- NFL salary comparison: New Orleans Saints RB Alvin Kamara – 5 years, $15 million per season
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7. Cris Collinsworth – NBC – Lead Analyst – $12.4 million
Cris Collinsworth, the former All-Pro wide receiver and first-team All-American, is the lead analyst on NBC’s Sunday Night Football. Collinsworthy landed a new contract with NBC following the 2021 NFL season, with reports estimating the deal to be valued at $12.4 million each season. Collinsowrth’s contract is believed to expire following the 2025 season and NBC could be in the market for his successor, such as FOX’s No.2 NFL analyst Greg Olsen. For now, Collinsworth is one of the highest paid NFL broadcasters in 2024.
- NFL salary comparison: Las Vegas Raiders QB Gardner Minshew – 2 years, $12.5 million per season
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8. Jim Nantz – CBS – Play-by-Play – $10.5 million
Tony Romo’s teammate for CBS’ No. 1 broadcast team, Jim Nantz is one of the most well-known and beloved sports broadcasters today. When Nantz signed his new contract with CBS in 2021, per Andrew Marchand, it came with an estimated $10.5 million salary. While it’s well below some of the highest paid NFL broadcasters, Nantz is one of the top-paid play-by-play guys in sports. Nantz’s salary covers his work for all sports.
- NFL salary comparison: Seattle Seahawks TE Noah Fant – 2 years, $10.5 million per season
Related: Top 100 NFL players 2024
9. Mike Tirico – NBC – Play-by-Play – $10.5 million
When Al Michaels left NBC, the network had Mike Tirico ready to take over. One of the most versatile broadcasters at NBC, Tirico serves as the play-by-play man for Sunday Night Football and serves as a broadcaster for the Olympics and NBC’s Triple Crown horse racing. Multiple outlets have estimated Tirico’s salary at $10.5 million per year, but there are no confirmed details nor insight on the length of the contract.
- NFL salary comparison: Kansas City Chiefs S Justin Reid – 3 years, $10.5 million per season
Related: NFL games today, NFL schedule 2024
10. Greg Olsen – FOX – No. 2 Analyst – $3 million
Greg Olsen was one of the highest paid NFL broadcasters last season, earning a $10 million salary as the No. 1 lead analyst for FOX’s NFL broadcasts. Then, Tom Brady joined the broadcast booth in 2024 and FOX demoted Olsen to its No. 2 team. The demotion proved very costly, dropping Olsen’s salary to $3 million in 2024. Andrew Marchand reported back in February that Olsen’s contract includes an opt-out clause, specifically created if he was demoted from FOX’s No. 1 role. With future openings likely looming on NBC’s Sunday Night Football (Cris Collinsworth) and perhaps eventually at CBS, if the network loses its patience with Romo, Olsen should have an opportunity to become one of the highest paid NFL announcers at that time.
