The National Football League parted ways with former analyst Michael Irvin earlier this week in a series of job cuts as part of an intended plan to reportedly shut down NFL Network. Now, it appears all of this was a precursor to a deal with ESPN.
As recently reported by Andrew Marchand of The Athletic, Irvin was the latest on-air talent let go by NFL Media with the move coming just weeks after the network cut ties with Andrew Siciliano, James Palmer, Melissa Stark and James Palmer.
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There have also been significant questions about “Good Morning Football” which NFL Network had announced this year that the show was moving from New York to Los Angeles. With the show on a summer hiatus, Jamie Erdahl is the lone on-air personality known to be staying whereas Peter Schrager, Kyle Brandt and Jason McCourty faced uncertainty.
It’s all part of the league’s attempts to slash NFL Media considerably, which has resulted in significant layoffs over the last year. With “NFL Total Access” poised to be shut down, analysts Chase Daniels, David Carr and Michael Robinson also were seen as unlikely to continue with NFL Media.
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Now, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, there’s a ‘growing belief in industry circles’ that a deal between ESPN and NFL Network is imminent, potentially being made as early as this upcoming week. One source inside the industry told FLorio the deal is “all but signed” with an announcement to come.
Marchand previously reported in January that ESPN was in advanced talks with the NFL on a deal to take a controlling stake in NFL Network. Months later, the two networks collaborated on coverage for the 2024 Draft.
The looming reported deal does still come with uncertainty for the future of NFL coverage. As noted by Florio, NFL insider Ian Rapoport recently signed an extension with NFL Media and it’s unclear what the league’s existing contracts with its top talent would mean if Disney takes over NFL Media.
When Disney was exploring a potential ownership stake in ESPN, the NFL was one of the parties involved in the process. While acquiring NFL Media would provide more talent and resources to Disney to cover pro football, the potential of the NFL buying an ownership stake in ESPN would then raise ethical questions about how the sport is covered by reporters and discussed by analysts when the NFL faces another scandal.
