Chris Fowler Is Out, and the NFL's Five International Games Just Got WILD

Whoa, hold up, 12s! You won't believe the buzz shaking up the NFL broadcast booths right now, and yeah, it’s gonna affect how we all watch the games this season. ESPN is reportedly making some HUGE moves on their "B" team, and a pretty familiar voice is stepping away from that mic. Andrew Marchand over at The Athletic is reporting that ESPN is "zeroing in" on Dave Pasch and Bob Wichusen to replace none other than Chris Fowler in the play-by-play slot for those non-Joe Buck games. Can you even imagine? It’s a whole new era for how we hear our favorite league.

New Voices, New Vibe for Game Day

So, what's the deal? Pasch and Wichusen are apparently going to split those "excess games," meaning we'll hear a couple of new pairings calling the action. And get this, the analyst chairs are still up in the air too. Jason Kelce, yeah, that Jason Kelce, is still being considered for some of those game analyst spots. Imagine hearing him break down a D-line! Kurt Warner and Louis Riddick are also in the mix for other games. It’s a real shake-up from what we’ve been used to. Previously, it was Fowler, Riddick, and Dan Orlovsky in the booth for the ESPN games not handled by the big duo of Buck and Troy Aikman. Pasch and Wichusen aren't new to the sports world, though. They both currently call college football games for ESPN, and Pasch handles radio play-by-play for Cardinals games, while Wichusen does the same for Jets games. They know their stuff, but this is the NFL, baby!

Why Those International Games Just Got Insane

Here’s where it gets really interesting, especially for those of us who live and breathe every single snap. In 2026, ESPN has eight non-Monday night games on its slate, and seven of those are actually going to be televised by NFL Network. But the real kicker? Five of these games are going to be played internationally, and they’re happening during college football season. This is the crucial bit. Chris Fowler has his major college football duties on Saturdays, which makes it totally impossible for him to handle those international games. That conflict is apparently a huge reason for this whole shake-up, opening the door for Pasch and Wichusen. Think about it: five international matchups, some of the most exciting games on the schedule, are now getting a fresh set of voices. It’s a huge shift in how we'll experience those global gridiron battles.

So, while our Hawks are grinding through the early part of the season, and Mike Macdonald is getting our defense dialed in, keep an eye and an ear on how these broadcast changes play out across the NFL. It’s a big league, and every piece of the puzzle, even who’s calling the games, impacts the whole experience. Get ready for some new voices to guide us through those crucial international showdowns. This season is already shaping up to be wild, and now we know the soundtrack is changing too!

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This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.