Cris Collinsworth has signed a signed a six-year deal with NBC Sports as studio analyst for Sunday Night Football beginning with the fall 2006 football season.
The deal marks a return to NBC Sports for Collinsworth. He joined the division in 1990 as NFL game analyst, covering championship games and track and field at the Atlanta Olympic Games until he left in 1996. On his return, he will be paired with Sharpie-wielding video game icon John Madden.
The deal allows Collinsworth to continue on HBO’s Inside the NFL with veteran sportscaster Bob Costas beyond 2006 at his discretion. He began with the show in 1989 and currently serves as co-host.
“This is probably the first free agent period in the history of sports broadcasters in television,” said Dick Ebersol, “These are the two that I put all the pressure into because of the passion, the curiosity and the football integrity. It was really key to us to get the two of them.”
A former wide receiver with the Cincinnati Bengals, Collinsworth was a three-time Pro Bowl selection and played in Super Bowls XVI and XXIII.
NBC's Sunday Night Football is the prime time network television package for the NFL from 2006 through 2011 including the Super Bowls and Pro Bowls in 2009 and 2012.
