Sean McVay has been linked to a potential move to the broadcast booth for years, but not everyone understands Amazon’s eagerness to land the Los Angeles Rams coach.
Following Andrew Marchand’s report in The Athletic on Kirk Herbstreit’s new Prime Video deal, which reportedly gives the network flexibility to pursue McVay, Boston College announcer Jon Meterparel questioned why the company is so determined to bring him into its Thursday Night Football booth.
Amazon’s Interest in Sean McVay Goes Back to 2022
When Marchand reported last month that Prime Video had extended Herbstreit as its TNF analyst, the deal came with a catch. It leaves Amazon room to move on if one of its preferred candidates becomes available, most notably pointing to McVay.
However, Marchand’s own podcast co-host doesn’t buy the idea. “I don’t understand why there’s such a rush to get Sean McVay in a booth,” Meterparel said.
Marchand’s report also put the extension at multiple seasons and more than $10 million a year. That’s shorter than the five-year contract Herbstreit first signed with Prime Video.
Prime Video has eyed McVay since the start of its TNF era. Weeks after his Rams won Super Bowl 56 in February 2022, he was set to meet with Prime Video about the analyst job, and Marchand reported at the time that Amazon was willing to pay up to $100 million over five years.
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McVay stayed put, and Amazon then signed Herbstreit to pair with Al Michaels.
But does a winning coach make a winning analyst? Meterparel’s case was exactly about that, using a few famous examples.
“There was a rush to get Bill Walsh in a booth. He stunk. There was a rush to get Bill Parcells in a booth. He stunk. Not that McVay’s a Walsh or Parcells at this point in his career. Belichick, okay, nothing great. I don’t know if it’s a guarantee. If I’m Amazon, why are you so eager to get Sean McVay? I don’t get it.”
Meterparel listed traits in McVay that could work in his favor in connecting with a young audience. However, he isn’t convinced that is enough to enjoy success in the booth. “I know he’s a good-looking dude. I know he has kind of the California lifestyle going on. I know he’ll fit in maybe nicely with a younger crowd. I just don’t get it.”
On Monday’s episode of his podcast, Marchand explained how Amazon’s flexibility works: “I think it’s a three-year deal; I didn’t write that originally. There are outs after Year 1 and 2. So I think Kirk would get his full money if it happened after this year. It’s basically buyouts.”
So why would Herbstreit sign a deal that leaves the door open for someone else? “Why not? It’s a great deal,” Marchand said. “His agents did a very good job for him.”
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Troy Aikman’s name came up too, as Marchand and guest John Ourand weighed whether Amazon might use the same clause to chase him should he leave ESPN after this season. Marchand came back to the same target: “McVay is one thing. I don’t think Amazon Prime Video would go after Troy Aikman. I think they want Sean McVay.”
Herbstreit opened this season in the last year of his contract, as did two other marquee NFL analysts, ESPN’s Aikman and Fox’s Greg Olsen. The Amazon extension made him the first of the three to sign a new NFL deal.
His college future isn’t settled, though. The ESPN deal that keeps him on the “College GameDay” set and in the network’s top college booth expires after this season too, and Marchand has reported that ESPN won’t address it until the college season ends.
Amazon has kept the play-by-play chair flexible as well. Michaels, 81, has worked on one-year deals since his original three-year contract ran out.
McVay, meanwhile, is still the Rams’ head coach, with the team currently 2-4 after six weeks. Los Angeles currently has a 10.4% chance of making the playoffs and has seen its Super Bowl-winning odds drop to 0.1% per PFN’s Football Playoff Meter.
The next headset McVay puts on will be on the sideline on Sunday, when the Rams visit the Las Vegas Raiders.
This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network.