First, Jim Nantz says he wants to be the voice of the Masters for decades. Now comes a report CBS’ lead play-by-play man wants big money — as in Tony Romo dough — in his upcoming contract.
Such a fickle world.
Sources said Nantz is seeking to top the $17.5 million yearly salary Romo signed right before the pandemic hit as everything perfectly aligned for the standout NFL analyst.
“In the last 30 years, Jim Nantz has become the face and voice of CBS Sports,” Nantz’s agent Sandy Montag told The Post.
“The network has become synonymous with his voice and his leadership.
And the article relates another intriguing dynamic:
Nantz, according to sources, pushed for Romo to be sidelined instead of working with Ian Eagle or another partner. Ultimately, CBS Sports executives made the final decision on Romo being absent Sunday, feeling it was easier to have the whole first team not work instead of reconfiguring its broadcast pairings. When Joe Buck calls the baseball’s playoffs, Fox has Troy Aikman team with other play-by-play partners.
CBS declined comment on negotiations with Nantz. In a statement about Romo’s off day, though, the network said along with Nantz, lead NFL game producer Jim Rikhoff, director Mike Arnold and other production personnel worked the Masters on Sunday.
“To avoid a complete domino effect and keep our other crews intact, we gave the rest of the lead crew the week off,” said a CBS spokeswoman. “It’s as simple as that.”