Luke Kuechly, who grew up on Horncastle Drive in Evendale, will call NFL games on Netflix as the streaming service's lead analyst for the 2026 season. The Athletic reported the hire on Tuesday, July 28, just 11 days before Kuechly is scheduled to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday, August 8, in Canton.
The 35-year-old former Carolina Panthers linebacker will team with play-by-play announcer Noah Eagle for four of Netflix's five NFL broadcasts, beginning Thursday, September 10, when the Los Angeles Rams face the San Francisco 49ers at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Australia.
"That guy has studied more film than days the average fan has lived," St. Xavier football coach Steve Specht told WCPO 9 Sports in a text message Tuesday night. "He'll be phenomenal!"
Kuechly auditioned with Eagle earlier in July at NBC's studios in Stamford, Connecticut, and the pair showed "immediate chemistry," according to The Athletic. Netflix had sought a fresh voice after borrowing analysts from other networks in 2024 and 2025, previously using J.J. Watt, Greg Olsen, Drew Brees, Nate Burleson, and Matt Ryan.
The Netflix gig adds to Kuechly's growing broadcast résumé. He has called 12 games per season for the Carolina Panthers Radio Network since 2022, hosts a podcast with former teammate J.J. Jansen, and last season worked two "Monday Night Football Playbook" alt-casts on ESPN2. He will continue his Panthers radio duties alongside the Netflix role.
Local roots
Kuechly graduated from St. Xavier High School in 2009 after helping the Bombers go 15-0 and win the Division 1 Ohio state title as a junior in 2007. He recorded 147 tackles and six sacks that season.
The night the Panthers selected him ninth overall in the 2012 NFL Draft, Kuechly and his brother John passed the time playing wiffle ball in the backyard of their Evendale home, according to a Panthers feature on his hometown roots.
In eight NFL seasons, Kuechly compiled 1,092 tackles, 18 interceptions, and 12.5 sacks. He earned seven Pro Bowl selections, five First-Team All-Pro nods, the 2012 Defensive Rookie of the Year award, and the 2013 Defensive Player of the Year honor, becoming the youngest player ever to win that award. He helped Carolina reach Super Bowl 50 after the 2015 season before concussions forced his retirement at 28.
Kuechly is the third Greater Cincinnati high school football player elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, joining Roger Staubach (Purcell High School, 1960) and Cris Carter (Middletown, 1984).
Former NFL defensive end J.J. Watt told WCPO 9 Sports anchor Caleb Noe earlier in July that Kuechly's relentless film study puts him steps ahead of everyone else on the field and in the booth.
What's next
Netflix's five-game 2026 slate also includes a Thanksgiving Eve game on Wednesday, November 25, when the Green Bay Packers visit the Rams at SoFi Stadium, plus a Christmas Day doubleheader and a Week 18 game. Kuechly's Hall of Fame induction ceremony is Saturday, August 8, in Canton, where he joins Drew Brees, Larry Fitzgerald, Adam Vinatieri, and Roger Craig in the Class of 2026.
