Despite having an expiring contract, former Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Bill Cowher will remain on The NFL Today with a revamped cast. Boomer Esiason and Phil Simms will not return to the show, while Matt Ryan will join host James Brown, Cowher, Nate Burleson and J.J. Watt, who will remain on the show on a part-time basis. The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand reported the news.
There were rumors that changes could be coming to the show after the Super Bowl, and those have come to fruition but not involving Cowher. Ryan was an analyst for select CBS games last season, and with his new gig, he’s unlikely to return to that role. Esiason will depart the show after 22 years, while Simms moved from the booth to the studio in 2017 after CBS replaced him as the network’s top game analyst with Tony Romo.
Debuting in the 1970s, The NFL Today has become a staple on televisions across the country as people prepare for Sunday’s games to kick off. Cowher agreed to join the show in February 2007, and along with Burleson, likely signed a contract extension to remain involved. Esiason and Simms saw their contracts expire and not get renewed.
It hasn’t been reported yet if Cowher did indeed sign an extension, but Marchand’s wording makes it sound as if he will officially be back on the show in 2024.
“Ryan will be joined on set by host James Brown, Nate Burleson and Bill Cowher, with J.J. Watt on a part-time basis. Burleson and Cowher also had expiring contracts,” he wrote.
On his Boomer and Gio radio show on WFAN, Esiason said it was a network decision.
“More their decision than maybe mine,” Esiason said this morning.
The Super Bowl was the last time we saw the booth of Simms, Esiason, Burleson, Cowher and Brown, one that had been together since 2017. Per Marchand, Ryan had impressed CBS Sports president David Berson during his appearances on various CBS studio shows, and he’ll add another perspective to the game along with the recently retired Watt, who’s only on the show part-time. It’s going to be weird to see different faces at the table, but Ryan should add a fresh perspective and it’s going to be interesting to see how he does in a more forward-facing role for CBS.
