When Chris Berman signed his contract extension with ESPN earlier this week, the agreement length would allow the 70-year-old ESPN personality to become the first talent to spend 50 years at the company. The longtime ESPN anchor has been closely associated with ESPN’s NFL coverage, beginning with the 1981 NFL Draft, and is slated to contribute to the coverage of ESPN’s first Super Bowl on February 14, 2027.
Moreover, Berman was a guest of The SI Media Podcast with Jimmy Traina and spoke about how the new contract came about with ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro.
“Quite a while ago he said to me, ‘You got to be with us somehow for our first Super Bowl,’” said Berman. “I talked to him in the fall about it, and I went ‘I hope that still your thought.’ He goes absolutely.”
Additionally, Berman went on to explain how he was asked in a number of interviews if he would like to work with ESPN for 50 years, which got him thinking about making the ask to Pitaro.
“I said, ‘Wouldn’t that be kind of cool?’ His eyes lit up, and he goes yeah, that would be a thing,” explained Berman. “It really isn’t 70 (years old). It really didn’t have to be, ‘okay five more years or I’m not doing it.’ You’ve invited me to stay here till the first Super Bowl, that’s two more years. Let’s make it four and a half or five, or whatever the number was. So that really is the answer.”
Berman joined ESPN on October 1, 1979, and celebrated his 70th birthday on May 10. He is a six-time National Sportscaster of the Year and a member of several Halls of Fame, including the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame, the National Sports Media Association (formerly NSSA) Hall of Fame, and the Cable Hall of Fame.
When it came to the idea of retirement, Berman noted that he has thought about it. However, he enjoys continuing to work for ESPN.
“It’s been a thought every time, but I’ve had such a good time doing NFL Primetime,” said Berman. “We talked about that at the time, and since then, I’ve had such a personally a good time.”
Furthermore, he is the recipient of many football honors, including the Pete Rozelle Radio-Television Award from the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He is the longtime host of NFL PrimeTime, which continues in 2025 on ESPN+ and with postseason special editions on ESPN. In 2000, 2003, and 2006, Chris anchored ABC’s Super Bowl XXXIV, XXXVII, and XL pre-game shows.
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