John Middlekauff speculates on Aaron Rodgers replacing Al Michaels for Thursday Night Football coverage
Aaron Rodgers’ future is one of the more intriguing questions from this year’s offseason, and "The Volume’s" John Middlekauff has an outlandish suggestion. The former NFL scout proposes that Rodgers should replace broadcast legend Al Michaels on Amazon’s Thursday Night Football coverage.
“If I was giving advice to Aaron Rodgers, and if I was giving advice to Amazon, doesn't this make a lot of sense?”
Amazon acquired exclusive rights to NFL's Thursday Night Football games in 2022 and brought on broadcast veteran Al Michaels to be the lead play-by-play announcer. They attempted to pair him with Troy Aikman, who chose to move with broadcast partner Joe Buck from Fox Sports to ESPN.
They were also rumored to have attempted to lure Los Angeles Rams coach Sean McVay and San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch into broadcasting but ultimately failed. Instead, ESPN college football analyst Kirk Herbstreit was selected to be Michael’s partner.
Middlekauff likes what Michaels and Herbstreit have done but believes Rodgers will take the commentary team to the next level.
“Herbstreit and Al (Michaels) got that thing off the mat, got it going in the right direction, and made it a valuable property, right? A lot of us watch Thursday night football, 10 to 15 million people.
"But Al feels like he's, and I'm pro-Al Michaels, but a couple steps away from retirement, and the Herbstreit thing was kind of filler because they got denied on guys like John Lynch and Sean McVay.”
Middlekauff added that such a move would be better for Rodgers than to sign for a non-contender.
“Well, Aaron Rogers sitting right there for you. And doesn't it kind of scratch Aaron's itch, like part of staying as an NFL quarterback, if he were to sign with a bad team, it wouldn't just be because of money, it would be because of what the NFL brings.
"Keeps you relevant, keeps you in the public eye, helps you, you know, be in the mix to your off-the-field businesses. Well, isn't that what this modern-day television show does?”
Speculation about Aaron Rodgers' future continues
Speculation about Aaron Rodgers' future will continue to swirl until the four-time MVP announces his plans for next season. His current team, the New York Jets, released an official statement two weeks ago on Feb. 13 that they will be parting ways with the 41-year-old quarterback.
Following the announcement, Rodgers is yet to publicly state if he intends to continue playing. If he does, it would have to be on a new team.