Chris Berman reveals new ESPN retirement plan as he approaches 50th anniversary

Chris Berman is only a few years away from reaching 50 years at ESPN, but the beloved figure at the Worldwide Leader in Sports isn’t getting ahead of himself in celebrating the milestone.

“Well we have to make it to the finish line first. Nobody won the Boston Marathon by celebrating at Heartbreak Hill,” Berman joked when asked about his future after 2029 — when his contract ends — during Tuesday’s Front Office Sports “Tuned In” summit in Manhattan.

“It was never my goal [to be here 50 years]. You just hoped ESPN would be here, whether I would or not.” 

Berman has become synonymous with ESPN over the course of his broadcasting career, being a part of a number of programs ranging from “SportsCenter” to MLB coverage to “Monday Night Countdown” and “Sunday NFL Countdown” to “NFL Primetime,” which relaunched on ESPN+ in 2019. 

While Berman had originally said earlier this year that he would retire after the 2029 NFL season, he did appear open to extending his career a little longer on Tuesday. 

“Do I predict going longer? I’ll be 75 [in 2029]; people have had enough of me, frankly,” he said, while explaining that if he doesn’t still have it, even before 50 years, he’ll tell ESPN management not to keep him on just to keep him on. “I think I’ll be alright until I get to 50, but it was never a goal. After that, if there’s any more, it ain’t going to be a lot, because they don’t give you a watch for 51 years.”

With Rich Eisen back in the fold, there had been some hope that two of the network’s most memorable “SportsCenter” hosts would reunite on air. 

Eisen hosted a special edition of ‘SportsCenter’ in April, marking the first time he’s done so in more than 20 years. 

Berman was open to the idea that it could happen in the future, but downplayed the idea of it happening in the fall. 

“He and I will have to figure out when it would work and present it,” Berman said. “I don’t eliminate it, but me doing a ‘SportsCenter’ isn’t going to move the needle that much.”