Buffalo Bills voice John Murphy calls it a career

Ahead of the 2024 NFL season, the longtime voice of the Buffalo Bills has chosen to step down from his position.

The legendary John Murphy, who boasts a legendary 35-year career with the Bills, announced his decision to hang up the microphone on Thursday.

For 16 years, Murphy provided insightful commentary as a color analyst. Over the next 19 seasons, through 2022, Murphy became the iconic play-by-play announcer, earning him the nickname “Voice of the Buffalo Bills.”

Although he is open to future involvement, his time in the booth appears to be on hold.

Murphy suffered a stroke near the end of the 2022 NFL season, leading Chris Brown to assume the PxP role on an interim basis for broadcasts on WGR 550 in Buffalo. Brown has continued to do so throughout the 2023 season, as Murphy has not called a Bills game since.

“John’s love and enthusiasm for the Bills and Western New York has been evident for over 30 years in the booth. We will all miss his big calls and his passion as a play-by-play announcer. We continue to wish him and his family all the best during his recovery and hope he can remain a part of our organization moving forward,” Bills owner Terry Pegula said in a communicated.

Murphy, in a recent interview with WBEN’s Susan Rose, indicated he’s ready to start a new chapter. Murphy and his wife, Mary, decided it was the perfect time to retire.

He feels satisfied with this choice he made months ago.

“I’m going to miss it a lot,” Murphy said. “I’m going to miss the people more than anything.”

(Buffalo tickets)