CBS had been rumored to look at shaking up its “The NFL Today” pregame show. Now, the network is following through on making some changes.
Boomer Esiason and Phil Simms won’t return to the show, reports The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand. Another former NFL quarterback, Matt Ryan, will join the pregame panel with analysts Bill Cowher and Nate Burleson and host James Brown.
Esiason, the former Cincinnati Bengals and New York Jets quarterback, had been on “The NFL Today” for 22 years. He announced on his WFAN radio morning show on Monday that he wouldn’t be back.
“I am stepping away from ‘The NFL Today’ on CBS,” Esiason said, while also announcing that he signed an extension with WFAN. “More their decision than maybe mine, but I really thought the Super Bowl was my swan song and I thought the way CBS handled especially us guys out there in Las Vegas, it was amazing.”
Boomer Esiason announces he is leaving The NFL Today on CBS, but signed an extension to continue his WFAN morning show with Gio pic.twitter.com/91E0OzmGx9
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) April 29, 2024
Simms, who won two Super Bowls as quarterback of the New York Giants, joined “The NFL Today” in 2017 after 13 years as CBS’ top game analyst with announcer Jim Nantz. (Before that, he called games with Greg Gumbel for six seasons.)
Ryan joined CBS during the 2023-24 NFL after being released by the Indianapolis Colts. The 15-year veteran (who played 14 seasons for the Atlanta Falcons) was open to continue his playing career as he called game broadcasts with Andrew Catalon and Tiki Barber, but no team showed interest.
Last week, Ryan officially announced his retirement. Knowing that he was ready to be a full-time broadcaster likely compelled CBS to add him to “The NFL Today.”
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