Something you might not have thought about much: commentary’s kind of underrated. There’s so many moving parts to keep track of: the game, the players’ histories, the strategy, your mate in the commentary box, and most important of all, keeping the fans at home sitting in front of the idiot box engaged. You can be an excellent talk show host, but if you don’t have the ‘it’ factor, the fans will reject you. So thank the gods for commentators like Kevin Burkhardt.

50-years old this year, Kevin Burkhardt’s been with NFL on Fox for more than a decade. He joined on the network’s #4 announcer team in 2013, and worked his way up the ranks, finally making it to the #1 team after Joe Buck left Fox in 2022. It’s a lucrative position, and while Fox hasn’t released details, his estimated annual salary sits at around $1.5 million. Of course, Joe Buck’s contract was a much more lucrative at $10 million in 2022, but Burkhardt’s salary will likely grow with time.

It was during the Super Bowl LVII that he really earned his prestige as a play-by-play commentator. He became the first new face to cover play-by-play for the event since 2004 outside of Michaels, Buck, and Nantz. A specific piece of coverage during Kenneth Gainwell’s touchdown call being overturned caught the attention of fans and earned him praise for its incisive nature. He’s certainly earned his Emmy nominations.

He’s also been picked to commentate the upcoming highly anticipated Chiefs vs 49ers game alongside Tom Brady. We’re sure his commentary will be enlightening. Burkhardt acknowledged Brady’s legacy with the NFL playfully earlier this year. “He’s been at a bunch of Super Bowls earlier, only difference this time is he knows at the start of the season he’ll be there,” he said when asked about his partner in the commentary box.

What do fans think about Kevin Burkhardt?

Fan reactions to Kevin Burkhardt have been generally positive across the board. Not only is he analytical in his commentary, he’s also just genuinely likable. He’s the kind of guy you can listen to all afternoon and not get tired of. He’s loved not just for his NFL coverage, but for the time he spent covering baseball as well. One fan said “Man it absolutely rules to see @kevinburkhardt back on the field at Citi interviewing Mets players about big wins,” and others have echoed the sentiment.

Speaking of his versatility, another fan said “Can we just give @kevinburkhardt his flowers? The man is covering the MLB playoffs and the NFL at the same time.” And that is something he deserves some praise for, not many commentators can cover multiple sports at the highest level. For any fans concerned that Brady might not be up to the mark (despite his $375 million commentary contract), they can rest assured Burkhardt’s around to save the day.