QB Colt McCoy spins a football during training camp at State Farm Stadium in Glendale on July 31, 2023.

QB Colt McCoy retires, joins NBC’s Big Ten coverage

Journeyman quarterback Colt McCoy is retiring and moving into the broadcast booth, joining NBC Sports for Big Ten coverage this season.

McCoy will make his debut as an analyst when Colorado plays at Nebraska on Sept. 7.

“College Football has always held a special place in my heart. With the expansion of the Big Ten and new era of College Football, it is the perfect time to join NBC Sports,” he said in a news release Monday. “I can’t wait to share in the passion, excitement, and competitive spirit every week!”

McCoy, 37, appeared in 56 NFL games (36 starts) over parts of 12 seasons with five franchises. He passed for 7,975 yards with 34 touchdowns and 32 interceptions while compiling an 11-25 record with the Cleveland Browns (2010-12), San Francisco 49ers (2013), Washington (2014-15, 2017-19), the New York Giants (2020) and Arizona Cardinals (2021-22).

McCoy was released by the Cardinals during the 2023 preseason.

“Thank you football,” McCoy posted Monday on X. “Excited for the next chapter.”

He was a third-round selection by Cleveland in the 2010 NFL Draft out of Texas, where he was a two-time Heisman Trophy finalist. He left the Longhorns as the winningest quarterback in NCAA Division I history with 45 victories from 2006-09.

“In a standout career at Texas, Colt McCoy starred in many of college football’s biggest games and fiercest rivalries,” NBC Sports executive producer and president Sam Flood said. “What a way to kick it off with Colorado-Nebraska!”

McCoy, who will also appear on the “Big Ten College Countdown” studio show, will be working with play-by-play announcer Paul Burmeister and sideline reporter Kathryn Tappen.

–Field Level Media

New York Giants offensive coordinator Jason Garrett on the field for warmups before the Giants face the Las Vegas Raiders at MetLife Stadium on Sunday, Nov. 7, 2021, in East Rutherford.

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Jason Garrett not leaving NBC for Stanford job

Jason Garrett has removed himself from consideration for the head coaching vacancy at Stanford.

The former Dallas Cowboys head coach tweeted Thursday night that he plans to continue as an analyst for NBC Sports.

“Thanks so much to AD Bernard Muir and everyone at Stanford!” Garrett posted. “While I enjoyed exploring a great opportunity at such a special place, I’m so excited to continue my work at NBC on Football Night in America and with Notre Dame Football!”

Garrett, 56, went 85-67 in 9 1/2 seasons with Dallas from 2010-19. He went on to become offensive coordinator for the New York Giants for two seasons from 2020-21.

Sacramento State head coach Troy Taylor is a finalist for the Stanford job, per multiple reports.

Taylor, 54, has led Sacramento State to a 12-0 record and a spot in the FCS (Division I-AA) quarterfinals on Friday. He’s a two-time Big Sky Coach of the Year (2019, 2021).

David Shaw resigned after 12 seasons at the helm at Stanford, hours after the Cardinal’s final game of the season. Shaw had a 96-54 record after succeeding Jim Harbaugh prior to the 2011 season.

–Field Level Media

Oct 3, 2021; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New York Giants offensive coordinator Jason Garrett looks on before the game against New Orleans Saints at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports

Report: Jac Collinsworth, Jason Garrett to call Notre Dame games

NBC has filled its empty broadcast booth for Notre Dame telecasts with Jac Collinsworth and former NFL head coach Jason Garrett, the New York Post reported Sunday.

Collinsworth will replace Mike Tirico on play-by-play, while Garrett will occupy the analyst chair filled last season by Drew Brees.

Tirico is taking over Al Michaels’ role as the voice of NBC’s “Sunday Night Football.” Brees left NBC after one NFL season that saw his performance widely criticized.

Garrett also will replace Brees on NBC’s Sunday pregame show, “Football Night in America,” on which Collinsworth will have a role, per the report.

NBC has yet to confirm the news.

Collinsworth, 27, is the son of Cris Collinsworth, the “Sunday Night Football” analyst and former NFL wide receiver. A 2017 graduate of Notre Dame, the younger Collinsworth was part of NBC’s sideline production crew for Fighting Irish football games for multiple seasons and a sideline reporter for the network of the school’s spring football game in 2016-17.

After graduation, he went on to work for ESPN in various college football-related roles and also for NBC, where he has reported from the Olympics, worked on “Football Night in America” and was the play-by-play voice of the USFL, among his roles.

Garrett, 56, spent 10 seasons as coach of the Dallas Cowboys (2010-19) and compiled an 85-67 record. He spent time as the offensive coordinator of the New York Giants the past two seasons until he was fired on Nov. 23, 2021, amid the team’s offensive struggles.

He was a career backup quarterback in the NFL, spending seven seasons in Dallas and one with the Giants.

–Field Level Media

Oct 17, 2021; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA;  NBC ports sideline reporter Michele Tafoya reports from the field as the Seattle Seahawks play the Pittsburgh Steelers during the first quarter at Heinz Field. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Michele Tafoya out at NBC Sports after Super Bowl

Michele Tafoya is leaving NBC Sports after the network’s telecast of Super Bowl LVI on Feb. 13.

The departure of Tafoya, who has won four Emmy Awards as a sideline reporter, had been rumored for several weeks and was confirmed by NBC on Tuesday.

She began her career in sports media in 1993 and has been a fixture on “Sunday Night Football” since 2011. On Sunday, she’ll join Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth at Arrowhead Stadium on the call of the wild-card game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Pittsburgh Steelers, and it will mark her 325th game as an NFL sideline reporter.

“My time with NBC Sports has been the most satisfying of my career,” she said in a statement released by NBC. “I’ve had the good fortune of collaborating with a team that is amongst the best at what they do, and the support I’ve received in this position has been unparalleled.”

She did not specify her plans but said, “I couldn’t ignore that little voice anymore after what we have all endured over the last few years. There’s no better way to walk away from covering the NFL than with one more Super Bowl.”

Tafoya, 57, previously worked for CBS and ABC/ESPN. She also covered the Olympics and other events at NBC.

Kathryn Tappen, who filled in on Tafoya’s games off this season, will be a candidate to replace her on “Sunday Night Football.” Mike Tirico also is expected to assume the play-by-play role from Michaels in the 2022 season.

Tafoya’s three games off in 2021 came after controversial comments she made on “The View” about COVID-19 and former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick.

–Field Level Media