Al Michaels responds to talk of possible retirement

Al Michaels has been calling NFL games on TV since 1986, but he is leaving open the possibility that won’t continue beyond 2021.

Michaels is entering the final season of his contract with NBC. He will take on his usual role on “Sunday Night Football” for the season. His future beyond that is unclear, however, as Mike Tirico is slated to take over the role in 2022.

On Wednesday, the 76-year-old broadcaster said he has not made a decision about his future beyond 2021. He says he plans to see how he feels toward the end of the season before deciding on his future.

“Not really, because it’s a long season,” Michaels said, via Neil Best of Newsday. “I know there’s a lot of stuff that’s already been out there, but frankly, I have chosen to just concentrate on what’s directly ahead of me right now. I’ve been doing this for a long time, still love doing it. I don’t know what the future holds. And that is the truth.

“But as we go through the season and we get toward the end of it, I think there will be a little bit more clarity and I’ll see how I feel about certain things. But all I know is I just want to make this, which is Year 36 for me on prime time football, the best. Then we’ll see what happens.”

Michaels called Monday night games from 1986 through 2005 and has been on “Sunday Night Football” ever since. It sounds as though he’ll have options to keep broadcasting games if he wants to. But it makes sense for Michaels — who turns 77 in November — to see how he feels about the job once the upcoming season concludes.