Watching sports would not be the same without the talking heads sharing their opinions on every throw, catch, slide, and basket.
Love them or hate them, bold personalities with even bolder takes are the starting point for conversations between fans all over the world.
The networks are well aware of their value and pay the talent handsomely — often more than some of the stars they discuss.
Using data from Front Office Sports, we have found the eight best-paid broadcasters in US Sports with a combined $150 million annual salary — enough to pay Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts‘ contract for three years.
Check out the full list below…
8. Joe Buck (ESPN, $15million)
Household name Buck is one of just two men on this list who didn’t play pro sports.
Following his legendary father Jack into broadcasting, he began his career calling play-by-play for the Louisville Redbirds — a minor league affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals.
He joined FOX Sports in 1994 — becoming the youngest man ever to announce a regular season NFL slate at 25 — and stayed with the network until 2021.
Buck joined ESPN in 2022, joining Troy Aikman in the booth for Monday Night Football having left his former calling in MLB behind.
7. Shaquille O’Neal (TNT Sports, $15million-plus)
Shaq earned almost $500 million from salary and endorsements in his iconic NBA career.
And he is doing alright for himself as a broadcaster as well, taking home somewhere just north of $15 million, per Front Office Sports.
O’Neal is one of the people responsible for turning ‘Inside the NBA’ into one of the most beloved sports TV programs.
After TNT Sports lost its NBA rights package in the NBA’s $77 billion rights deal, ESPN is picking up the show in its current format from the 2025-26 season.
6. Pat McAfee (ESPN, $17million)
McAfee made two Pro Bowls as a punter and kickoff specialist after spending eight yards with the Indianapolis Colts.
He was involved in probably the worst play in NFL history — a botched fake punt that was blown up by the New England Patriots.
But it is off the field where he truly emerged after creating The Pat McAfee show and turning it into a phenomenon.
ESPN brought him on board in 2023 and he has gone on to present College Gameday as well as his own show and sporadic appearances as a WWE commentator.
4=. Tony Romo (CBS Sports, $18million)
Romo was familiar to million as the quarterback of ‘America’s Team’ the Dallas Cowboys from 2003 to 2016.
The four-time Pro Bowler didn’t manage to win any rings but came took home around $127 million in salary so don’t feel too sorry for him.
He was immediately snapped up by CBS to work as a color commentator alongside play-by-play icon Jim Nantz.
The former QB is known for predicting plays ahead of time so is either a time traveller, telepathic, or spent a long time studying playbooks like a model professional.
Romo was slammed for his performance during Super Bowl LVIII after talking over Nantz calling Mecole Hardman’s winning touchdown, as well as singing Adele’s hit Rolling in the Deep and Elvis Presley’s track Viva Las Vegas going into commercial breaks.
4= Troy Aikman (ESPN, $18million)
Cowboys quarterbacks seem to have a leg up in entering the wild west of sports broadcasting.
Aikman is a three-time Super Bowl champion and Hall of Famer.
He was never going to be short of offers and soon after retiring, joined FOX as a color commentator in 2001.
A year later he was promoted onto the lead announcing crew and teamed up with Buck, moving to ESPN with his long-time friend three years ago.
3. Stephen A. Smith (ESPN, $20million)
Another non-sportsman, Smith has managed to become one of the most talked about faces in US Sports regardless.
Whether it’s long monologues or starting beef with LeBron James, if there is one man on planet earth who knows how to share a viral opinion, it is the First Take co-host.
Stephen A.’s journalism career started in print with the Winston-Salem Journal, the Greensboro News and Record, and the New York Daily News.
After losing his post as an NBA columnist for The Philadelphia Inquirer, he moved into TV and radio.
He has been a regular on First Take since 2012 and has been dominating the airways ever since, recently signing a five-year deal worth $100 million.
2. Charles Barkley (TNT Sports, $21million)
Chuck was a formidable hooper with 11 All-Star nods and one MVP.
He joined TNT in 2000 after retiring from the game and has been with the network ever since.
Barkley was one of the most vocal critics of the NBA after Amazon displaced TNT as a rights holder.
In 2024, he said he would be retiring at the end of the NBA season but has reversed that call and will see out his 10-year, $210 million contract that he signed in 2022.
1. Tom Brady (Fox Sports, $37.5million)
Brady sits where he has often found himself, way out in front.
Nobody comes close to the $375 million, 10-year deal the seven-time world champion landed when he finally retired.
His first season in the booth was a mixed bag but the reviews got more positive the longer it went on.
Brady is currently keeping himself busy in his role as minority owner of the Las Vegas Raiders.
That is all well and good during the offseason, but there are doubts over whether he can fulfil both roles when football returns in fall.
