CBS NFL studio staples Phil Simms and Boomer Esiason leave The NFL Today and will be replaced by Matt Ryan for the upcoming season.
Phil Simms and Boomer Esiason will not return to The NFL Today on CBS next season, while recently retired quarterback Matt Ryan will join the network’s pregame show, according to a report in The Athletic Monday. James Brown, Nate Burleson, and Bill Cowher will all remain in their previous roles for the network, along with J.J. Watt who will continue to join The NFL Today on a part-time basis.
A shakeup in the CBS studio was widely anticipated following last season with Simms, Esiason, Burleson, and Cowher all sitting on expiring contracts. Last season the CBS pregame show notched its most-watched regular season in six years with an average of 3.35 million viewers; though the show still lagged well behind its direct competitor FOX NFL Sunday, which averaged 4.39 million viewers and was the top-rated NFL pregame show for the 30th consecutive year.
Simms and Esiason leave CBS with over 40 years of combined experience. Simms served as the network’s lead game analyst for nearly 20 years before moving to The NFL Today after CBS replaced him in 2017 with Tony Romo. Esiason joined The NFL Today in 2001 and has spent 22 years at CBS. He will continue co-hosting his popular weekday morning show Boomer and Gio on WFAN, which is simulcast on CBS Sports Network.
Following his retirement in 2022, Ryan quickly jumped into broadcasting with CBS. Last season, the former quarterback joined Andrew Catalon and Tiki Barber calling games for the network while also appearing across CBS’ studio properties. Now, he will try and translate his skills to the studio full-time alongside a decidedly younger group of analysts.
Notably, these are the first major talent decisions headed by new CBS Sports President David Berson, who replaced longtime Chairman of CBS Sports Sean McManus earlier this month.
