NBC sports commentator Cris Collinsworth isn’t going anywhere.
The retired Cincinnati Bengals receiver and long-time voice of Sunday Night Football is expected to sign a four-year extension with NBC, according to The Athletic. That deal would keep Collinsworth at NBC through the 2029-30 season, putting him in line to call Super Bowls for the network in 2026 and 2030.
Details of the deal have not been revealed and NBC Sports spokespeople did not immediately respond to DailyMail.com’s request for comment.
The Athletic reports Collinsworth currently makes $12.5 million annually. For comparison, rookie commentator Tom Brady is earning a reported $37.5 million in his first year with Fox Sports. CBS’ Tony Romo and ESPN’s Troy Aikman, meanwhile, both earn a reported $18 million annually.
Of course, those rival broadcasts can’t quite compete with NBC’s Sunday Night Football audience, which has ranked first among all American primetime shows for the last 13 years.
Cris Collinsworth (L) and Holly Bankemper attend Michael Rubin’s Fanatics Super Bowl party
Collinsworth is seen with his on-air partner, NBC Sports announcer Mike Tirico (right)
The 6-foot-5 Collinsworth was taken by Cincinnati in the second round of the 1981 NFL Draft
The Athletic had previously speculated that Fox’s Greg Olsen could garner some consideration for the Sunday Night Football job if the 65-year-old Collinsworth were to be replaced.
A standout at the University of Florida, the 6-foot-5 Collinsworth was taken by Cincinnati in the second round of the 1981 NFL Draft. He’d help the Bengals reach their first Super Bowl that year and picked up Pro Bowl honors in 1981, 1982 and 1983 before ankle issues slowed him somewhat in the late 1980s.
His final NFL game as a player was Super Bowl XXIII, which the Bengals dropped to the San Francisco 49ers.
Since then, the Fort Thomas, Kentucky resident has spent much of his professional time as a broadcaster, although he does have a juris doctor degree from the University of Cincinnati Law school. In fact, Collinsworth met his wife, Holly Bankemper, while studying at UC.
These days, Collinsworth’s 29-year-old son Jac also works as an NBC Sports host.
***
Read more at DailyMail.co.uk