Luke Kuechly, a Carolina Panthers legend and Pro Football Hall of Famer, has added a new chapter to his football career. The former All-Pro linebacker is serving as the color commentator for Netflix’s NFL broadcasts this season, teaming up with play-by-play announcer Noah Eagle.
From the Film Room to the Broadcast Booth
Kuechly brings prior media experience to the role, having called games for CBS Sports Network and worked on Panthers radio broadcasts. His Netflix debut came in Week 1, as the Los Angeles Rams faced the San Francisco 49ers in a Friday morning game played in Australia.
While Kuechly’s football intellect was never in doubt, the transition from elite linebacker to lead television analyst represents a significant leap for a relatively unproven broadcaster. Eagle, who was already locked in as Netflix’s play-by-play voice, explained how Kuechly won the job during a July audition.
“It was unquestioned that his knowledge for the game was an elite level,” Eagle told Awful Announcing. “I just watched him as a player, and you can see that one, the knowledge for the game is clear, but also the preparation going into each week, and that’s what he brought with him to the audition. We called a game from last season, sat down, and immediately, he just, it was as if he could see things happening before they happen.”
Answering the “Comfort and Personality” Questions
History is littered with great players who struggled to translate their on-field mastery to the broadcast booth. Eagle acknowledged that the primary unknowns for Kuechly were broadcast comfort and on-air personality.
“That’s the question mark for somebody who’s never really done it, but when we sat down, he was comfortable fast,” Eagle told Awful Announcing. “You get into a rhythm, and then you just let it rip, and then I think the last part was personality, where this is the other unknown. The player stuff, when guys are film junkies to the level that he was, and that’s what he was known as, somebody who lived in the film room, when you have all that stuff, we already knew that the question marks are the comfortability and the personality, and I think him showing his personality was really what sold everybody, and his willingness to rally back and forth and joke around when it was the right time for it, but then get serious when it was the right time for that.”
The Greg Olsen Connection
Kuechly’s path was likely smoothed by his relationship with former Panthers teammate Greg Olsen. Olsen has rapidly ascended to become Fox’s No. 2 color analyst alongside Joe Davis, widely considered one of the best in the business. Eagle, who worked with Olsen during Netflix’s first year of NFL coverage, sees clear parallels between the two former players.
“We all know that he’s very close with Greg Olsen, and Greg has quickly become, in many people’s opinion, the best analyst doing this right now, but certainly in the discussion for that title,” Eagle told Awful Announcing. “He’s similar. I did the first year of Netflix with Greg, and you can see the similarities: one, how they see the game, two, the passion for the game, but certainly it almost feels like a doctorate in football when you’re talking to them, and Greg is like a beautiful mind of football in many ways.”
Netflix’s Expanding NFL Footprint
Netflix holds the rights to five NFL games for the 2026 season: the season-opening Australia game, a contest the night before Thanksgiving, two Christmas Day games, and a to-be-determined Week 18 matchup. This schedule provides Kuechly a platform to develop his craft and enter the conversation among the sport’s rising broadcast stars.
