Michael Strahan has acknowledged that retirement is no longer an abstract idea, revealing that the relentless pace of his media career has pushed him into thinking seriously about how much longer he wants to keep going.
The Super Bowl-winning former defensive end opened up during an appearance on the New Heights podcast, when Jason Kelce asked what comes next for him. Strahan did not dress up his response.
“Retirement,” Strahan said. “I love Fox. But you work so much. I want to go here, I want to go there, and I can’t do a lot of things because I’ve got these commitments and schedules and stuff. At this point, I have to look at time lived and time left.”
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Since stepping away from the NFL, Strahan has built one of the most successful post-playing careers in sports media.
He has been a fixture on FOX NFL Sunday since 2008, becoming a familiar presence every weekend alongside Curt Menefee, Terry Bradshaw, Howie Long and Jimmy Johnson.
Now 54, he is realistic about the idea that even the most stable television run does not last forever.
“I’m not just going to completely disappear,” Strahan said. “I’ll do Fox until they throw me off of Fox. I don’t want to be 80 years old on Fox, but I’ll stick around a little bit longer.”
Balancing success with the reality of time
Strahan was clear that finances are not driving his thinking. After a Hall of Fame playing career and years of lucrative television work, money is no longer a deciding factor. Instead, his comments point to a growing desire for flexibility and control over how he spends his time.
His reflections come during a period of transition around the FOX set. Last season, longtime colleague Jimmy Johnson stepped away from the network, closing a significant chapter in the show’s history.
He was replaced by Rob Gronkowski, another four-time Super Bowl winner who brought a different energy to the panel. Despite the change, FOX NFL Sunday remains the highest-rated NFL pregame show, a reminder of the platform Strahan is still part of.
That success is one reason he is not rushing toward the exit. At the same time, the workload that comes with multiple shows, travel and year-round commitments has begun to weigh more heavily than it once did.
The thought of retirement, he admitted, is relatively new, but it is no longer something he dismisses outright.
Strahan also hinted that FOX may not be the first place where changes happen. His media portfolio extends beyond football, and not every project may carry forward into the next phase he is beginning to imagine.
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