Al Michael ThisClose To Signing With Amazon For TNF

Legendary NFL play-by-player Al Michaels is in agreement with Amazon Prime Video to lead its booth when it begins its exclusive coverage of “Thursday Night Football” in the fall, The NY Post has learned.

Michaels’ partner will be ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit. An official announcement could come as early as this week.

Michaels is expected to sign the contract shortly, after several months of negotiations. Michaels, whose contract is for three years, will be paid near the Joe Buck neighborhood, according to sources.

Buck signed a five-year, $75 million deal with ESPN to join his longtime partner at Fox, Troy Aikman, on ESPN’s “Monday Night Football.”

Herbstreit, who has two years remaining on his ESPN deal, will also continue on “College GameDay” and Saturday college games. The terms of Herbstreit’s Amazon contract are not yet fully known, but sources said it is for eight figures a year.

The 77-year-old Michaels was a free agent after he called his record tying 11th Super Bowl on TV for NBC last month. Michaels will still do a game or two for NBC, including its extra NFL playoff game, according to sources. NBC decided to replace Michaels with Mike Tirico as its “Sunday Night Football” play-by-player beginning next season.

Michaels has waited to agree to the contract with Amazon to see whether ESPN or Fox would become options.

ESPN would have tried to team Michaels with Aikman if Fox declined to let Buck out of his contract. After Buck left, Michaels and his representatives reached out to Fox to see whether it would want him, according to sources, but Fox, with two of the next three Super Bowls, has been inclined to go with Kevin Burkhardt.

Michaels did not do all the games at NBC in recent years; as Tirico, his backup, had the opportunity to do a few games per year written into his contract. Tirico will be teaming with Cris Collinsworth as the now-permanent play-by-player for “SNF.”