ESPN is reportedly interested in keeping the Monday night window to broadcast an NFL Wild Card game; Matt Ryan would reportedly leave CBS if he lands the role with the Falcons; and Malika Andrews joins Australian Open coverage on ESPN. Plus news on NBC Olympics, the WTGL, Kenny “The Jet” Smith and Netflix-WWE.
ESPN reportedly looking to retain Monday night window for NFL Wild Card round game
ESPN is seeking to extend its expiring five-year agreement to carry its annual NFL Wild Card playoff game in a Monday night window, but has not yet held any talks with the league, according to Austin Karp of Sports Business Journal. While ESPN is guaranteed a Wild Card playoff game for the life of its broader agreement with the NFL, it acquired the right to air those games on Monday nights under a separate arrangement announced in October 2021.
Sources cited in the report said that ESPN “is clearly pleased with the prime-time position.” The company’s Wild Card games previously aired in the 4:30 PM ET Saturday or 1 PM ET Sunday windows, the earliest possible timeslots on those days.
Any extension would mark just the latest agreement between ESPN and the NFL, which last year agreed to a deal under which ESPN would acquire NFL Network, linear distribution rights to “NFL RedZone” and some other league-owned media properties in exchange for a 10% equity stake in the network. Other agreements between ESPN and the NFL from this past summer created an ESPN DTC-NFL+ bundling option, extended ESPN’s media rights for the NFL Draft and content licensing.
Pelissero: Ryan will not continue working at CBS if he joins Falcons
CBS NFL analyst Matt Ryan does not intend to continue working at CBS if he joins the Atlanta Falcons in a front office position, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, who clarified his earlier reporting that Ryan wanted to hold both jobs. Ryan is reportedly considered the favorite to become the president of football operations for the Falcons and is said to be interviewing for the position later this week.
Jay Glazer of Fox Sports was first to report that Ryan had discussed a “significant” front office role with the Falcons. The Falcons fired both head coach Raheem Morris and general manager Terry Fontenot on Sunday night after an 8-9 season. The team has not qualified for the playoffs in eight seasons, last playing in the divisional round against the Eagles in January 2018 when Ryan was the signal caller.
Ryan has been an analyst on “The NFL Today” since last season and added “The NFL Today+” to his slate of responsibilities this fall. He also worked as a color commentator on Netflix Christmas Day NFL games for the past two years and served as a regular game analyst for CBS when he first joined the network in 2023. It remains unknown if Ryan departing CBS should he land the job with the Falcons was a decision he ended up making or if it was a directive from one of the other stakeholders.
Of course, Fox Sports analyst Tom Brady holds a partial ownership stake in the Las Vegas Raiders and was subject in his first season to restrictions on attending production meetings. Prior to the NFL season, Andrew Marchand of The Athletic reported that the “Brady Rules” had basically ended, with the exception that he could still not attend team practices. Brady is working “in close collaboration” with Raiders GM John Spytek on football operations, which includes the head coaching search, as the team holds the No. 1 selection in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Andrews to host Australian Open championship weekend coverage on ESPN
ESPN NBA broadcaster Malika Andrews will host the company’s coverage of the 2026 Australian Open during the second week of play, it was announced Tuesday, marking her debut on ESPN tennis coverage. Katie George will host during the first week of the tournament.
Longtime ESPN tennis host Chris McKendry will remain on the roster, but in a play-by-play role. The Australian Open is the first ESPN tennis event since the retirement of longtime voice Cliff Drysdale.
Andrews, who is the studio host for “NBA Today” and both NBA/WNBA countdown shows, signed a multiyear extension with ESPN in the fall. Under the new deal, she has also returned to NBA broadcasts as a sideline reporter for select games. Outside of basketball coverage, Andrews has co-hosted “Good Morning America” on ABC, most recently doing so in New York City on New Year’s Eve.
Andrews, George and Eubanks will be part of a talent lineup that includes Chris Fowler, Patrick McEnroe, Mary Joe Fernandez, John McEnroe, CoCo Vandeweghe, Kris Budden and more. Not mentioned in the ESPN release were longtime analysts Pam Shriver, Darren Cahill, Brad Gilbert and Rennae Stubbs, but an ESPN spokesperson said the company does not use all of its tennis broadcasters on every tournament and has not yet finalized plans for Wimbledon or the U.S. Open.
Plus: NBC Olympics, WTGL, Kenny “The Jet” Smith, Netflix-WWE
- NBC Sports announced the full commentary lineup for the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Games, including the NBCUniversal broadcast debuts of former athletes Picabo Street (reporter, alpine skiing/women’s hill), Sloane Martin (play-by-play, curling), Lindsey Jacobellis (analyst, freestyle/snowboarding) and Ezra Frech (reporter, SportsDesk), the latter of whom will make history as the first Paralympian to serve as an NBC Olympics commentator. Kaylee Hartung is going to debut on Winter Games coverage as a reporter for aerials/moguls, while Nicole Auerbach will debut on NBC Olympics altogether covering cross country skiing.
- The LPGA and TMRW Sports are forming the WTGL, a new indoor women’s golf league that will launch next year at SoFi Center in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. News of the formation of this new league occurs as the TGL is halfway through its two-year media rights deal with ESPN and The Walt Disney Company and reportedly “in the market to renew or find a new partner,” per Josh Carpenter of Sports Business Journal.
- TNT “Inside the NBA” analyst Kenny “The Jet” Smith will be back on this Wednesday’s edition of “NBA Countdown” on ESPN ahead of a doubleheader featuring Nuggets-Celtics and Lakers-Spurs. Smith returns to the show after debuting in November under a multiyear agreement to contribute on “First Take” and provide analysis during select NBA game broadcasts.
- In addition to weekly episodes of “Raw,” Netflix has become the home of the WWE library in the United States, granting users access to premium live events that occurred before September 2025, plus documentaries and other programming. Peacock previously housed the content in this library, and it will continue to offer WWE events through weekly editions of “SmackDown” and the “Saturday Night’s Main Event” series.
