Al Michaels is a free agent after he calls Super Bowl 2022 for NBC, and he does not have an eye towards retirement.
Michaels, 77, appeared on HBO’s “Back On The Record With Bob Costas,” and told his former NBC colleague he doesn’t plan on the Feb. 13 game being his last.
“I hope not and I don’t think it will be,” Michaels said. “So, my current contract with NBC ends after the Super Bowl. At this point, I feel great. I do want to continue to do this next year, for sure.”
Costas brought up Amazon, which is picking up exclusive rights to “Thursday Night Football” next season. The Post’s Andrew Marchand has linked Michaels as the potential play-by-play caller for that package for the past several months.
NBC signed Mike Tirico away from ESPN in 2016 for a number of roles, with one of the most prominent being the eventual heir apparent to Michaels on “Sunday Night Football.” Michaels has almost seemed to relish that as a personal challenge, and he remains extremely sharp on football broadcasts.
Costas asked if the upcoming Amazon package meant Michaels had options.
“I do at the moment, yeah,” Michaels said. “But that’s talking in switchbacks. I’m not sure exactly what combination will or won’t be available, or whether it will be a combination or an exclusive situation. But the opportunity is there to continue on. And as we sit here right now, and we’re eight or nine months away from the next football season … Yeah. To me, retirement is almost a dirty word.”
Michaels recalled doing a Bills game in the 1990s after legendary Bills coach Marv Levy had turned 70. The Pro Football Hall of Famer told Michaels, “When you start thinking about retiring, you’ve already retired.”
It’s advice Michaels seems to have taken to heart.
“At this point in my life, I’m just living in the moment,” Michaels said. “and just enjoying the hell out of this season in particular.”