Strahan Reportedly Nets $2M For "Fox NFL Sunday" Pre-Game Gig

Strahan (r) To Join Bradshaw And Company In "Fox NFL Sunday" Studio

Recently retired NFL Giants DE Michael Strahan yesterday signed a deal to join the "Fox NFL Sunday" pregame show in a deal worth about $2M for the '08 NFL season, according to industry sources cited by Kaplan & Cannizzaro of the N.Y. POST. Fox is expected to announce the deal at a press conference this afternoon. Strahan had been the "happy subject of a bidding war between Fox and CBS -- though NBC and ESPN were said to have talked with him as well." Kaplan & Cannizzaro note Strahan chose Fox because his Hermosa Beach, California, home is near Fox' L.A. studios where the show originates, and the "boisterous, needling style of the Fox pre-game show seemed a better fit for his oversized personality." A source said that the deal "came together quickly this past weekend after Strahan made up his mind." NBC had "shown some interest in hiring Strahan, but it was understood that his sour relationship" with NBC's Tiki Barber, a former teammate with the Giants, was a "major roadblock that [NBC] was not able to overcome" (N.Y. POST, 6/24).

JOINING A NEW TEAM: USA TODAY's Michael McCarthy writes it "remains to be seen how [Strahan] will fit in as a fifth wheel on the top-ranked pregame show for the past 14 seasons" (USA TODAY, 6/24). But Boston Globe columnist Bob Ryan said, "We know he can talk at least 80% as well as he can rush the passer. He'll be great" ("PTI," ESPN, 6/23). AWFUL ANNOUNCING's Brian Powell wrote, "Sundays will certainly be more lively now as FOX tries to rival ESPN in decibels and number of morning analysts" (AWFULANNOUNCING.BLOGSPOT.com, 6/23).