The NFL’s highest-priced pickups this offseason weren’t all laser-armed quarterbacks, explosive edge rushers or dynamic receivers.
Some of the sport’s signature voices have landed more lucrative television contracts than all but the NFL’s most well-paid players.
With newcomer Amazon needing to make a splash after acquiring the rights to "Thursday Night Football" and ESPN eager to add badly needed star power to its Monday night booth, two deep-pocketed suitors accelerated the competition to acquire top broadcast talent. The NFL’s established play-by-play voices and color analysts took advantage, pitting one network against another when their contracts expired.
CBS reset the market two years ago when it shelled out a record-setting $180 million over 10 years to retain rising star Tony Romo as its lead NFL analyst.