Can FOX hang on to Colin Cowherd? The answer to that may depend on how much longer Cowherd wants to do his radio show and would he do something he has already done before.
Michael McCarthy of Front Office Sports reports that ESPN would like to bring The Herd star back to the network.
“The brass in Bristol views Cowherd as the answer to their struggling ratings on ESPN Radio, said sources,” writes McCarthy.
Cowherd spent ten years at ESPN before being recruited to join FS1 and FOX Sports Radio. A source told McCarthy that Cowherd’s ratings are high and he is low-maintenance for his bosses. Re-signing him should be a no-brainer for FOX.
Both FOX and ESPN declined to comment on McCarthy’s report.
Cowherd’s current deal with FOX expires in 2025. He would be 61 years old by then. Whether or not he would want to continue doing a radio show at that point may have a lot to do with the growth of his podcast network The Volume.
ESPN has courted Colin Cowherd for a reunion once before. Cowherd says that the last time his contract was set to expire, a network executive kicked the tires on bringing him back.
Cowherd also fits the mold of what ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro values. He is a big star with an established following. He is very much in the same mold as Pat McAfee, Stephen A. Smith, and the network’s other stars.
