ESPN, Kirk Herbstreit agree to multi-year contract extension

Kirk Herbstreit is going to be busy this football season between Thursday Night Football, College GameDay and Saturday Night Football. That schedule will continue over the next few years.

ESPN announced Wednesday that Herbstreit has agreed to a three-year extension to keep his current roles. The news comes the same day Amazon announced Herbstreit will officially team up with Al Michaels for Thursday Night Football. As he negotiated with Amazon, questions swirled about his future with ESPN.

The network answered those on Wednesday.

“Kirk’s passion for college football and reverence for its traditions is unmatched,” ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro said in a statement. “His signature analysis and in-depth insight have earned him the respect of both fans and the teams he covers, and we are thrilled to ensure that Kirk will continue to be there for college football’s biggest moments for years to come.”

Herbstreit joined ESPN in 1996 and is the lead college football analyst, working alongside Chris Fowler for Saturday Night Football. He also serves on the panel for College GameDay alongside Desmond Howard, Lee Corso and host Rece Davis.

“I am so proud of the work our ESPN and ABC team does on college football – this has been my family for 26 years and my passion for the sport is unwavering,” Herbstreit said in a statement. “Calling college games and being a part of College GameDay is important to me. I am very appreciative of Jimmy Pitaro for his leadership and for allowing me to continue in this role with Disney.”

It won’t be the first time Herbstreit will call NFL games. He and Fowler filled in on some games over the years, including Monday Night Football games in 2020 and 2021.

Details emerge on Kirk Herbstreit contract with Amazon’s Thursday Night Football

Kirk Herbstreit is going to be busy this fall with Thursday Night Football and College GameDay. A new report shed light on how much he could make with his new job at Amazon.

Herbstreit could make “eight figures” while working alongside Al Michaels at Amazon, according to the New York Post’s Andrew Marchand. He’ll continue his work for ESPN on College GameDay and calling games alongside Chris Fowler on Saturdays.

Marchand’s report came in the same story he confirmed Michaels is signing a huge contract to do play-by-play alongside Herbstreit at Amazon. Michaels, the legendary play-by-play announcer, spent the last 16 years at NBC before the network opted to let his contract expire. NBC is promoting Mike Tirico to Sunday Night Football play-by-play alongside Cris Collinsworth starting with the 2022 NFL season.