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Fox Sports is poised to name Daryl Johnston as its No. 2 NFL game analyst this season.
Fox could team the 56-year old TV veteran with 34-year old up and coming play-by-play announcer Joe Davis on its second NFL team, sources tell Front Office Sports.
It would be another key NFL talent decision by Fox during a tumultuous offseason.
The network lost Troy Aikman and Buck, its No. 1 NFL announce team for two decades, to rival ESPN’s “Monday Night Football.”
But Fox then stunned the industry by signing Tom Brady to a monster $375 million, 10-year deal to become its No. 1 NFL analyst when he finally retires.
Fox also promoted Kevin Burkhardt as its top NFL play-by-play announcer succeeding Buck.
It then elevated last season’s No. 2 analyst Greg Olsen to its lead TV team with Burkhardt, sideline reporters Erin Andrews and Tom Rinaldi, and rules analyst Mike Pereira.
While serving as a placeholder for Brady, Olsen will still get to call Fox’s telecast of Super Bowl LVII on Feb. 12, 2023.
Nicknamed “Moose,” Johnston seems a safe choice by Fox for its No. 2 analyst.
The former Dallas Cowboys fullback has been with Fox since 2001. During his long career with the network, he’s been No. 2 on the depth chart before behind Aikman. Last season, Johnston worked with Chris Myers and sideline reporter Jennifer Hale.
The three-time Super Bowl champion also serves as an executive vice president for the USFL, where Fox holds an equity interest. Looking ahead, Johnston wants the USFL to utilize a high-tech football that glows when it breaks the plane of the goal line
Fox controls the league’s NFC game package. The Cowboys are the most popular TV draw in the league. And Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is one of the most influential owners when it comes to NFL TV decisions.
That’s why the former stars of “America’s Team” are employed across NFL TV partners, from Tony Romo at CBS Sports to Michael Irvin at NFL Network.
Maybe Fox decided a little stability was the ticket after the wildest offseason for NFL announcers in history. The network declined to comment.
Meanwhile, Drew Brees has also been under consideration by Fox after splitting with NBC Sports after one season. But the former New Orleans Saints quarterback could join Amazon Prime Video’s planned “QBs Only” MegaCast of “Thursday Night Football.”
With NFL TV salaries going through the roof, former NFL QB’s Brett Favre and Jay Cutler are also interested in broadcast jobs.
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