CBS’ pregame show, The NFL Today, could see significant changes after this season, according to the New York Post. The contracts of Boomer Esiason, Bill Cowher, Phil Simms, and host James Brown all expire after this season.
Who Could Be Leaving The NFL Today?
Simms, who has been with CBS since 1998, was a game analyst from 1998 to 2016 before joining The NFL Today in 2017. Simms was on the call for seven Super Bowls, working with Greg Gumbel and Jim Nantz. Simms was replaced on the lead announcer team when the network hired Tony Romo in 2017.
Simms told The New York Post, “I don’t know what I’ll do if I don’t go back to CBS, but I’m definitely going to continue to work with or in the NFL — somewhere, somehow, whatever it is. I’m just not going to go, ‘OK, I’m done. I’m retired.'”
Brown has been The NFL Today’s host since 2006 after moving to CBS from FOX, where he hosted the NFL pregame show for 12 seasons. He has hosted the Super Bowl pregame show 10 times, including four times on FOX.
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Cowher has been on The NFL Today team since 2007 when he retired as the head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers. For the first part of his time at the network, there were reports that he might want to get back into coaching, but he has remained. Cowher was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2020.
Esiason joined The NFL Today in February 2002 as a studio analyst after being a game analyst on Monday Night Football for two seasons. He has been the host of a morning radio show on WFAN (New York) since 2007.
Who Could Be Staying?
Nate Burleson, who has been on The NFL Today since 2017, signed a new contract in 2021 to include being a host of “CBS This Morning.” He has also called kids-themed NFL games on Nickelodeon for the last three seasons. Burleson came to CBS from the NFL Network, where he was a host of “Good Morning Football.” The New York Post’s report didn’t include an update on Burleson’s contract status.
Former Houston Texans and Arizona Cardinals All-Pro J.J. Watt joined The NFL Today this year but his appearances were not consistent.
There has been very little change in NFL pregame shows on CBS and FOX for the last several years. Most changes have been additions to the shows, not subtractions.
The NFL Today team has been together since 2017 when Simms and Burleson joined the show.
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