NBC Commentator Mike Tirico to Miss Sunday Night Football Game Due to ‘Health Issue’

Mike Tirico, a 59-year-old NBC sports commentator, will not be calling the Bears versus Buccaneers game on Sunday Night Football due to an undisclosed health issue. He announced his absence in a statement released by the network on November 8, expressing his anticipation for the game and his return to the team next Sunday in Cincinnati.

The network has appointed Noah Eagle, 29, to fill in for Tirico for the game at Chicago's Soldier Field. Tirico, who has been the voice of Sunday Night Football since 2022, previously spent decades with ESPN, where he was the play-by-play announcer for Monday Night Football from 2006 to 2015. He is also known for his commentary on the Olympics and the NBA.

Eagles, who has been calling NBC's Big Ten Football games since 2022, will take over for Tirico. Tirico is expected to return to the show on November 15, where the Pittsburgh Steelers will play the Cincinnati Bengals. In 2025, Tirico suffered an allergic reaction at the Kentucky Derby due to a lifelong nut allergy, which he later described as something he is "very, very careful" about.