Ian Rapoport replacement confirmed as Amazon Prime add second choice to TNF crew
James Palmer has announced a new role with Amazon Prime Video ahead of the 2026 season.
Palmer is joining the Thursday Night Football team as an NFL insider, replacing Ian Rapoport who was handed a multi-year extension from ESPN.
“I’m thrilled to announce that I’m joining the outstanding broadcast crew @NFLonPrime,” Palmer tweeted.
“Stoked to get back to what I love. Working gameday!”
Palmer will join the existing group made up of Charissa Thompson, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Andrew Whitworth, Tony Gonzalez and Richard Sherman.
Prime video is entering it’s fifth year as the broadcaster of Thursday Night Football, and for the first time they will produce it in house.
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James Palmer’s previous NFL media experience
Prior to joining NFL Network in 2015, Palmer earned an Emmy Award as a Houston Texans beat reporter for Comcast SportsNet Houston.
Palmer spent close to a decade with the network, the organization choose not to renew his contract ahead of the 2024 NFL season.
Since then, he has worked across digital and independent platforms.
Palmer co-hosts a podcast with former NFL Network colleague Steve Smith Jr. and will remain Bleacher Report’s NFL insider.
He also co-hosted Scoop City with Dianna Russini, who resigned from The Athletic amid an alleged affair with New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel.
He also served as the lead NFL reporter for Underdog before they changed direction to prediction markets.
Palmer wasn’t Amazon’s first choice for role
The move comes at a rapidly changing period of time in the NFL media landscape ever since ESPN completed it’s $3bn takeover of NFL network.
Several notable names have been relieved following brutal wave of job cuts, and longtime insider Tom Pelissero was one of them.
The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand reported that Amazon Prime approached Pelissero for the role, but he instead signed on with Netflix.
Palmer is likely to make his Prime debut in Week 2 of the regular season, when the Buffalo Bills welcome the Detroit Lions to their new $2.1bn Highmark Stadium.
In total, the network have 16 regular season games on the slate, and they will broadcast one Wild Card game on either January 16 or 17.
Palmer’s extensive experience navigating locker rooms, gives the Thursday Night Football desk an edge entering the 2026 campaign.
With opening kickoff around the corner, all eyes will be on how the revamped crew executes its expanded broadcast slate.
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