Boomer Esiason and Phil Simms are out at CBS Sports’ NFL pregame show, the former NFL MVP and Cincinnati Bengals quarterback revealed on his daily radio show.
‘More [the network’s] decision than maybe mine,’ Esiason, 63, said before naming the outgoing executive who brought him to the network decades earlier. ‘I had been there for 22 years. The guy who hired me back in 2001 was a guy by the name of Sean McManus, who was the CBS Sports Chairman… I never in my wildest dreams it would have lasted 22 years. With all the people that I’ve worked with CBS and the ”NFL Today” it’s been an amazing run.’
McManus is also stepping down as chairman of CBS Sports this year, which may have signaled the end of Simms and Esiason’s run.
Simms, a 68-year-old two-time Super Bowl winner with the New York Giants, confirmed the news on X: ‘Great 26 yrs run with CBS SPORTS. Even though that part of my career is over I look forward to what is next.’
Former Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan is being picked as a replacement, CBS Sports announced Monday. The 2016 NFL MVP announced his retirement from the league last week after going unsigned in 2023. Ryan was first hired by CBS a year ago, and served as an in-game commentator for the network last season.
Phil Simms (right) and Boomer Esiason (left) were two of the premiere QBs of the 80s and 90s
TMZ is reporting that former Atlanta Falcons QB Matt Ryan is being picked as a replacement.
‘I grew up watching ”The NFL Today” so I’m honored to join this iconic show and hope to continue the high standard set by Phil, Boomer and others before me,’ said Ryan. ‘I am thankful for this exciting new opportunity and can’t wait to get started with my new teammates.’
For now, at least, former Pittsburgh Steelers coach Bill Cowher, ex-wide receiver Nate Burleson, Houston Texans great JJ Watt, and host James Brown appear to be staying with ‘The NFL Today.’
‘Phil & Boom are absolute legends of the game and will certainly be missed,’ Watt wrote on X. ‘Very thankful for their kindness and support last season. True pro’s pros.’
He also sent out a message to Ryan: ‘Welcome aboard!’
Watt then poked fun of Ryan’s unverified status on X: ‘(If winning NFL MVP didn’t earn you a blue check mark, this certainly will. We’ll get you one buddy!)’
Monday’s news marks the biggest shakeup at ‘The NFL Today’ since longtime analysts Shannon Sharpe and Dan Marino were fired in 2014.
JJ Watt thanked Esiason and Simms, while welcoming Matt Ryan to the CBS Sports crew
Ryan was part of the CBS broadcast team for a Week 6 Falcons-Commanders game in Atlanta
McManus’ retirement, specifically, marks an end of a distinct era for CBS Sports. His most significant achievements were bringing the NFL back to the network in 1998 and partnering with Turner Sports to carry the NCAA Tournament in 2010.
CBS was in many ways in the sports wilderness from 1994-97 when it didn’t have the NFL. It decimated the sports division and caused CBS to go from first to third in prime-time ratings and affiliate switches among stations in major cities.
Big Ten Commissioner Tony Petitti, who was with CBS Sports from 1997 through 2008, said not a day went by his first year when he and McManus did not talk about getting the NFL back.
‘For someone who just got there, they really trusted him. The real skill was Sean getting the leaders at CBS motivated to do the deal,’ he said.
CBS’ winning bid in 1998 was $500 million a year, and the agreement allowed for the recreation of ‘The NFL Today,’ which soon hired Esiason, the 1988 league MVP, and Simms, the Super Bowl XXI MVP.
Simms (left) and Esiason (right) ranked among the best quarterbacks in football in the 1980s
CBS Sports Chairman Sean McManus brought in Esiason and Simms, but is now retiring
(From left) Simms, Brown, Cowher, Burleson, Watt and Esiason are seen at Super Bowl LVIII
The network’s current agreement runs through 2033 at $2.1 billion per season. With the NFL helping to promote programming, CBS returned to being the top prime-time network.
‘It’s almost impossible, probably insurmountable, to have a broadcast network without the NFL,’ McManus said. ‘It drives all of your distribution deals. It’s a promotional vehicle. That is enormous. And, I think, the broadcast model today depends greatly on sports in general and the NFL specifically.’
McManus leaves CBS with all its critical properties locked up long-term. In addition to the NFL and March Madness, the NWSL goes through 2027, the Big Ten and UEFA Champions League rights run through the 2029-30 season, while the PGA Tour and PGA Championship deals don’t expire until 2030.
‘The timing is right,’ McManus said. ‘I think it’s good for the division, and it’s very good for me.’
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