It’s been more than four decades since Chris Berman joined ESPN just one month after the network launched in 1979. And he’s still one of its defining faces. But the 70-year-old is now mapping out the end of that run. According to reports, Berman plans to retire following the 2029 NFL season.

“I’ll be almost 75, I think the nation’s more than had enough of me,” Berman said during a conversation with Alex Sherman on the CNBC Sport podcast. “I’m semi-retired now. I’m just so proud of where we’ve been from Day 1 to getting a Super Bowl.”

Berman signed his latest contract extension in May 2025, a deal that runs through 2029. By all indications, this will be the final one. He’s approaching his 50th year with the company, and the timing is deliberate.

The conclusion of the 2029 NFL season will effectively mark half a century at ESPN. It’s a clean endpoint, both professionally and symbolically.

From the moment he arrived in Bristol, Berman quickly became one of the defining personalities of SportsCenter. By the early 1990s, he wasn’t simply part of the lineup. He was widely viewed as the leader of ESPN’s on-air presence. His delivery, cadence, and unmistakable voice helped shape how NFL highlights were consumed by an entire generation.

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He went on to host Sunday NFL Countdown for 31 seasons and Monday Night Countdown for a decade, while also anchoring Monday Night Football studio coverage, including three Super Bowls for ABC. Over time, he became synonymous with ESPN’s NFL brand, blending analysis with catchphrases that made him instantly recognizable across eras.

Even after shifting to a reduced schedule in 2017, Berman remained central to ESPN’s football coverage. He revived NFL PrimeTime on ESPN+ alongside Tom Jackson and continued delivering the iconic “Fastest Three Minutes.”

Multiple extensions, most recently through 2029, reinforce a simple truth: ESPN’s evolution and Berman’s career have moved in parallel for nearly five decades.

And with 2029 now set as his retirement year, there’s another layer to consider. ESPN is slated to broadcast its first-ever Super Bowl in 2027, a milestone Berman subtly referenced. Given his history and stature, he’s widely expected to be part of that coverage. If that happens, it would serve as a fitting chapter in a career that has mirrored the network’s own rise.

ESPN to broadcast the Super Bowl for the first time in the network’s history

Chris Berman joined ESPN when the network was still brand new. Nearly five decades later, he’ll witness something that once felt improbable: ESPN broadcasting its first Super Bowl.

Since the official announcement earlier this month, the buildup has already been framed internally as the “Year of the Super Bowl,” underscoring how significant this moment is for the company.

Super Bowl LXI is scheduled for Feb. 14, 2027, at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. The game, which will conclude the 2026 season, will air on ESPN with a simulcast on ABC.

It will also stream on the ESPN App and NFL+ on mobile, with a ManningCast alternate broadcast available. In the booth, Joe Buck and Troy Aikman are set to call their seventh Super Bowl together.

Because this is ESPN’s first time as a Super Bowl rights holder, the network isn’t treating it as just a one-day event. The plan is to stretch the coverage across the calendar and turn it into a year-round programming focus.

“I never thought I’d have the opportunity to work on an ESPN Super Bowl, and I know so many of my colleagues who have been here as long as I have or even longer would say the same thing,” said Andy Tennant, ESPN’s vice president of Super Bowl planning. “We’re the first 24/7 sports network to ever be a rights holder to broadcast the Super Bowl. We see that not only as an opportunity, but we see it as a responsibility.”

As for Chris Berman, he’s expected to be involved on the studio side, likely contributing to pregame and halftime programming. Given his status as one of ESPN’s longest-tenured and most recognizable personalities, his presence would carry clear symbolic weight on a broadcast that marks a historic milestone for the network.