Chris Fowler has re-signed as ESPN's top play-by-play voice for college football, the New York Post reported Monday.
The news was laid within a larger story on layoffs and downsizing within the company, as part of Disney's plan to cut 7,000 jobs within its media empire. In Bristol, that means executives are taking a particularly hard look at its "middle class" on-camera talent -- those making within $2 and $5 million a year.
Fowler was within that group; the Post reported he previously worked on a 10-year, $30 million contract. With that deal expiring, Fowler reportedly sought an increase similar to those of his peers calling pro football games, which began with Tony Romo signing a 10-year, $180 million contract in 2020. That contract led ESPN to lure Troy Aikman and Joe Buck away from Fox, at price tags of $90 million and $75 million over five years.
Fowler's Saturday night partner, Kirk Herbstreit, got $10 million a year from Amazon last year to analyze Thursday night NFL games. Herbstreit reportedly earns in the $6 million range at ESPN.
And so Fowler reportedly sought a deal that would move him into the upper echelon of football broadcasters, but the Post reports he and ESPN came to an agreement on an extension "but not with the big raise (Fowler) sought," though it will come with a "small" increase. Actual terms were not disclosed.
Fowler has been with ESPN since 1990 and has served as the network's lead college football announcer since 2014. He's also ESPN's lead tennis announcer.
As always, stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest.