Al Michaels is 75 and still going strong. The voice of Sunday Night Football will enjoy a perk of being a legendary voice and have some time off during the NFL season.
Michaels will have three “bye” weeks in 2020.
His seat will be taken by Mike Tirico on NBC.
“His first bye week will be Week 3 in New Orleans, and then after that we’re going to take it month by month just to kind of see how the schedule shakes out,” “Sunday Night Football” executive producer Fred Gaudelli said Thursday.
Michaels likes the plan, which will see him miss a Thanksgiving game in Pittsburgh.
“This is a great schedule for me,” Michaels said via text to the New York Post. “A lot of West Coast games and a couple of byes during the season to cut down on some travel, which is welcome for me. I was part of formulating the plan. I’m all in.”
Tirico, who also does play-by-play on Notre Dame games, will call one of NBC’s two playoff games.
The Post also reported there will be no “Collinsworth slide,” when analyst Cris Collinsworth joins Michaels, due to social distancing, and sideline reporter Michele Tafoya will not be on the field due to the coronavirus pandemic. Tafoya will be stationed in a “moat” near the first round of seats. She will be so far away from her former perch, she’ll use binoculars for the first time.