Cris Collinsworth taken off NFL Thanksgiving broadcast and replacement announced in huge shakeup

Nov 26, 2025 - 08:30

If you were expecting to hear Cris Collinsworth while enjoying your Thanksgiving feast Thursday night, you’ll have to keep waiting.

Instead, Jason Garrett will fill in for Collinsworth in the NBC broadcast booth for the primetime matchup between the Cincinnati Bengals and Baltimore Ravens.

Sportscasters Chris Collinsworth and Mike Tirico on the field before announcing a game between the Buffalo Bills and the New England Patriots — Collinsworth has been a staple on NBC’s coverage for decades

It’s not unusual for top NFL announcers to miss a game around Thanksgiving, and Collinsworth has done so on multiple occasions.

Cris Collinsworth enjoying well deserved Thanksgiving break

This was a scheduled break, nothing to be alarmed about. NBC is not removing Collinsworth, who just celebrated calling his 500th game, anytime soon.

Since NBC added a primetime Thanksgiving game to Sunday Night Football in 2012, Collinsworth has occasionally taken the holiday off here and there.

Garrett will join Mike Tirico in the booth Thursday night for Joe Burrow’s highly anticipated return, as he looks to engineer a miracle for the 3–8 Bengals against the suddenly surging 6–5 Ravens.

Melissa Stark will resume her usual sideline reporting duties.

Thanksgiving is arguably the most-watched day in sports each year, second only to the Super Bowl, and this year’s slate has a chance to be historic.

The day kicks off with a titanic NFC North clash, as the Green Bay Packers travel to face the Detroit Lions with major postseason implications on the line.

Fox’s A-Team, Kevin Burkhardt and Tom Brady, will be on the call for that game.

Following that is a game with the potential to break all-time viewership records, as Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs descend on Jerry World to face the Dallas Cowboys.

The record was set three years ago in 2022, when the Cowboys and Giants drew 42.1 million viewers on Thanksgiving, making it the most-watched regular-season NFL game ever.

Quarterback Jordan Love #10 of the Green Bay Packers, linebacker Isaiah McDuffie #58, and running back Josh Jacobs #8 enjoy Thanksgiving turkey with NBC Sports reporter Melissa Stark after an NFL football game against the Miami Dolphins, at Lambeau Field — The NFL on Thanksgiving is a tradition unlike any other

NBC color commentator Cris Collinsworth walks onto the field prior to an NFL wild-card playoff football game between the Detroit Lions and the Los Angeles Rams — Collinsowrth is taking this Thanksgiving off

That record could be at risk with Mahomes taking the field at AT&T Stadium.

On deck for that potential ratings bonanza is CBS’s A-Team, with Jim Nantz and Tony Romo on the call.

Then, of course, there’s Burrow’s return against Jackson’s red-hot Ravens, with plenty at stake in the AFC North to close out the night.

Put simply, Thursday has the potential to be a historic Thanksgiving of football, and Collinsworth will be taking it in from his couch along with the rest of us.

Fear not. Garrett has plenty of booth experience and has filled in for Collinsworth before, so this is nothing new for him.

No, he doesn’t have Collinsworth’s 500 games under his belt; he has more than enough experience to do a solid job.

While Fox and CBS send their top talent to their holiday games, NBC is happy to give Collinsworth a well-earned break.

Stay up to date with the latest from the NFL across all platforms – follow our dedicated talkSPORT USA Facebook page and subscribe to our talkSPORT USA YouTube channel for all the news, exclusives, interviews and more