Ben Watson recently decided that his NFL career was over after spending the last 15 years with four different teams. He appeared on CBS’s Super Bowl pregame show in a segment that featured a conversation about the league’s social justice initiatives and drew almost universal praise. It also drew the attention of ESPN according to Michael McCarthy.
McCarthy reports that ESPN is considering adding Watson to its NFL coverage in a recent article for The Sporting News. ESPN declined to comment on the report, but McCarthy says the former tight end’s reputation around the league makes him suitable for a TV role.
The 38-year-old Watson is viewed as one of the NFL’s most thoughtful players, receiving multiple nominations for the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award recognizing “excellence on and off the field.” But Watson is also known for telling it like it is.
Michael McCarthy, The Sporting News
ESPN has an opening on Sunday NFL Countdown. Charles Woodson confirmed last week that he would not return to the show in 2019.
While the network wouldn’t comment on what, if any plans, it had for Watson, McCarthy noted that his time in New Orleans would an ideal analyst. “Watson knows the current pass-happy NFL offense inside and out.”
