Pressure Mounts on Al Michaels to Retire After Mistakes During Seahawks-Broncos Clash Sparks Backlash

Veteran sportscaster Al Michaels continues to be on a roll with his on-air mistakes during the 2026 season. As has been in the past few weeks, fans have once again called him out for his slip-ups, along with a general lack of energy for the game.

During the broadcast of the Denver Broncos-Seattle Seahawks game, Michaels made several player-name mistakes, and fans soon took to social media to question whether the 81-year-old should retire. In the first quarter, he got the name of a Broncos returner wrong during a punt. Instead of Marvin Mims Jr., he said Marvin Jones, who retired in 2023.

Michaels also struggled momentarily to pronounce Jaxon Smith-Njigba’s last name. Before that, he had described the pass caught by “you know who.”

And, he also lacked the energy for the Broncos’ touchdown in the second quarter, with only a momentary rise in his voice. The score extended the Broncos’ lead, putting the score at 14-3 at halftime.

This comes after he has made errors in previous Thursday Night Football broadcasts, like confusing Bijan Robinson with Brian Robinson and claiming Michael Penix Jr.’s alma mater was Oregon, and not Washington.

The timing added to the discussion, as he had spoken about his broadcasting future on The Dan Patrick Show just a day earlier, admitting that his NFL career would eventually come to an end.

“If they come to me and say, you know, it’s time for us to move on … You guys have been fantastic. You’ve been great. I’ve done the NFL for 41 years, which is half my life. Love it. But you know what? At a certain time, it’s time,” Michaels said. “And if they feel it’s time, great. And if I feel it’s time, I’ll know it. And I’ll say, ‘You know what? Thanks for the memories.”

For now, though, the debate is continuing online. Fans did not hold back in their reactions to Michaels’ latest broadcast, with some acknowledging his legacy while insisting that it is time for a change.

“Al Michaels is a Legend, but he is missing names constantly. Time to enjoy retirement.”

“Al Michaels is so cooked man. How are you gonna call a touchdown like that? Dude needs to retire and have someone who actually has enthusiasm have an opportunity to call these games.”

Some viewers widened their criticism beyond Michaels, taking aim at the overall Thursday night product while still calling for the broadcaster to leave.

“Thursday night football product is terrible and Al Michaels needs to retire.”

“I’d rather listen to a slow-motion audio playback of every argument that my ex girlfriend and I ever had than listen to Kirk Herbstreit and Al Michaels call another Thursday night game.”

“We were robbed of good call on a 53 YARD GAME WINNING field goal because Al Michaels wanted to scream “A flag is down” 5 times. Somebody tell him to retire.”

“There have been three huge plays in overtime and you’d have no clue if you were only listening to Al Michaels. He’s gotta retire.”

For Michaels, the question is no longer just how many seasons he has left in the booth, but whether viewers still want to hear him call them. His own words suggest he knows the decision is coming eventually. But after another night of name mix-ups, fans are making it clear they would rather see that day arrive sooner than later.

The post Pressure Mounts on Al Michaels to Retire After Mistakes During Seahawks-Broncos Clash Sparks Backlash appeared first on EssentiallySports.