Drew Brees and Maria Taylor Join “Football Night in America”

Drew Brees and Maria Taylor are joining Football Night in America — the most-watched studio show in sports — for the 2021 NFL season. Brees, the MVP of Super Bowl XLIV, joins host Mike Tirico and Super Bowl-winning head coach Tony Dungy at the desk in Studio 1 at NBC Sports’ International Broadcast Center in Stamford, Conn. The trio will deliver opinions, analysis, and insight about that day’s NFL action, provide highlights of all Sunday games, and look ahead to that night’s Sunday Night Football game.

Maria Taylor will co-host FNIA and often be paired in Studio 1 with former NFL quarterback Chris Simms, who will provide in-depth analysis of the day’s biggest moments. Two-time Super Bowl winner Rodney Harrison, who has spent the past 12 seasons in the FNIA studio, will now join co-host Jac Collinsworth at the site of the SNF game every week to capture the excitement of the crowd, provide on-field analysis, and conduct player interviews. NFL Insider Mike Florio will continue to provide reports about the most relevant NFL news of the day.

Emmy-nominated Football Night in America begins @ 7PM ET every week during the NFL season on NBC, preceding Sunday Night Football. The coordinating producer of FNIA is Rob Hyland and the co-producer is Matt Casey. FNIA is directed by Pierre Moossa.

For the first time ever, Football Night in America and Sunday Night Football will stream on Peacock Premium every week, and viewers can sign up here. Peacock Premium is included at no additional cost for Comcast’s eligible Xfinity X1 and Flex customers and Cox Contour customers.

About the Broadcasters:

Mike Tirico: One of the most respected and versatile voices in sports, Mike Tirico begins his fifth season on Football Night in America. In addition to hosting FNIA, Tirico is NBC’s primetime Olympic host and lead play-by-play voice for Notre Dame Football, among many other high-profile assignments.

Tony Dungy: A member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Tony Dungy begins his 13th season with Football Night in America. Dungy became the first African-American head coach to win a Super Bowl when his Indianapolis Colts defeated the Chicago Bears in Super Bowl XLI.

Drew Brees: Following one of the most successful NFL careers of all time, Drew Brees makes his broadcasting debut this year as a studio analyst on FNIA and as the game analyst for Notre Dame Football, both alongside Mike Tirico. During a 20-year NFL career as quarterback with the New Orleans Saints and San Diego Chargers, Brees led the Saints to a victory in Super Bowl XLIV, is the NFL’s all-time leader with 80,358 career passing yards, and ranks second all-time with 571 career passing touchdowns.

Maria Taylor: Having already worked many of the biggest events in sports, Maria Taylor joined NBC Sports this past July, debuting as a host and correspondent at the Tokyo Olympics. Highlighted by the Olympics, Football Night in America and Super Bowls, Taylor will work across premier NBC Sports properties.

Chris Simms: Former NFL quarterback Chris Simms is currently an NFL and college football analyst across numerous NBC Sports programs and platforms, including FNIA. He also co-hosts Pro Football Talk with Mike Florio and is the host of Chris Simms Unbuttoned, an NFL and college football program exclusively for NBC Sports digital, social and audio platforms.

Jac Collinsworth: NBC Sports’ Jac Collinsworth returns to FNIA for a second season. He will once again report from the game site, this year alongside Rodney Harrison. Collinsworth, the son of Sunday Night Football analyst Cris Collinsworth, also works on NBC Sports’ coverage of the Olympics, NASCAR, Notre Dame Football, and other high-profile events.

Rodney Harrison: A two-time Super Bowl champion and one of the most feared defenders of all time, Rodney Harrison begins his 13th season with FNIA, but his first reporting from the game site alongside Jac Collinsworth. Harrison and Collinsworth also team up for the weekly Peacock program Safety Blitz, which covers all things NFL during the season.

Mike Florio: As the founder of the website ProFootballTalk, generally regarded as the best and most popular independent NFL news and information site, Mike Florio returns to FNIA for his 12th season. In addition to FNIA, Florio also hosts the daily weekday program Pro Football Talk with Chris Simms that streams on Peacock and airs on NBCSN.

In a special edition of FNIA, the entire announce team will be on site in Tampa for NFL Kickoff on Thursday, September 9, from Raymond James Stadium, when Tom Brady and the Super Bowl-champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers host the Dallas Cowboys in the first game of the 2021 season. Coverage begins @ 7PM ET on NBC and Peacock.

Three days later on Sunday, September 12, it’s the debut of NBC’s Sunday Night Football, primetime television’s #1 show for an unprecedented 10 consecutive years, as fans will get their first look at the sights and sounds of the new and spectacular SoFi Stadium with a full crowd in attendance, as well as the Rams debut of quarterback Matthew Stafford. The Rams host Khalil Mack and Chicago Bears, who welcome two new quarterbacks in Andy Dalton and first-round draft pick Justin Fields.