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That contract ended after the 2024 season. Amazon then brought him back on a one-year agreement for 2025. Now the streaming giant has doubled down, keeping Michaels in the booth for at least one more year.
“First of all, I feel great,” Michaels told Sports Business Journal. “Everyone at Amazon has been fantastic and I love working with this group.”
Fans, however, were far less enthusiastic.
“My lord this is brutal,” one viewer wrote on X. “The biggest play of the game could be happening and it’s like they ran for 2 yards on second down.”
Another was even more blunt. “He needs to call it quits, his commentary was garbage this season.”
The criticism has followed Michaels throughout his tenure at Amazon, but it reached a boiling point late last season.
During a thrilling Week 16 matchup between the Rams and Seahawks, fans expected intensity and excitement. Instead, many felt they got something closer to a preseason broadcast.
When Seattle’s Rashid Shaheed returned a punt for a touchdown in the fourth quarter, viewers noticed what they described as a lack of urgency and emotion from Michaels.
“Al Michaels it might be time to hang it up,” one fan posted alongside a clip of the call. “Least enthusiastic touchdown call you’ll ever hear.”
The frustration only grew in overtime. When Puka Nacua scored a 50-yard touchdown to decide the NFC’s top seed, Michaels’ call left fans stunned.
“50 yard TD in overtime to decide the 1 seed and Al Michaels just called it like a random touchdown in a second quarter,” another viewer complained.
These reactions were not isolated.
Earlier in the season, one fan wrote, “They gotta get Al Michaels off TNF. He be sleepwalking through it.”
Another added, “Al Michaels gotta retire man. This the game of the year right now and he calling it with the energy you use when you can’t decide what appetizer to order.”
Michaels has defended his approach.
Appearing on The Pat McAfee Show last year, he explained that his style has always been measured.
“It’s a 60-minute game,” Michaels said. “If you scream your guts out in the first five minutes, where are you going to go?”
He also pointed to other veteran broadcasters to make his case.
“You look at Joe Buck and Jim Nantz and myself, we did like 17 of the last 18 Super Bowls,” Michaels said. “We don’t scream the game at you, we don’t holler the game at you.”
But critics argue that this is not about style. They say it is about decline.
Fans remember Michaels’ iconic moments, including his emotional calls during the Olympics and his energized work on Sunday Night Football. What they hear now feels different.
Michaels acknowledged the situation in November during an appearance on the SI Media podcast.
“I feel really good right now. It’s been a good year. A lot of fun,” he said. “I love the people I’m working with. So if I had to make a decision today, I would want to come back.”
He also admitted Amazon could eventually move on.
“It’s a two-way street here,” Michaels said. “They could tell me, ‘Hey, we gotta move on.’”
For now, Amazon is not moving on.
The company appears to be choosing familiarity and legacy over addressing mounting viewer complaints. With billions invested in NFL rights, critics argue that Amazon is risking the credibility of its flagship sports product.
NFL fans can hear the difference between greatness and decline. And many believe Amazon missed a chance to let a broadcasting legend exit with dignity.
Instead, they are bracing for another season of frustration, viral clips, and growing calls for change.
