This past April, sports media personality and journalist Peter Schrager departed NFL Network after eight years of appearing on Good Morning Football, and he also left his position as an insider and reporter surrounding FOX Sports NFL coverage. Schrager concurrently signed a multiyear agreement with ESPN under which he has made contributions to several ESPN studio shows, radio programs, podcasts and web content among other ventures.
Alex Sherman of CNBC is now reporting that ESPN is considering placing Schrager in the afternoons to host a show, operating off the premise that he “can be more of an all-sports figure.”
The addition of Schrager occurred as the final episode of Around the Horn approaches, marking the end of the heralded sports debate show after 23 years on the airwaves. Sherman reported that the rationale for canceling the program was “largely cost driven,” citing dozens of journalists on the payroll and the licensing fee paid to executive producer Erik Rydholm.
In addition to Around the Horn, Rydholm is also involved with Pardon the Interruption, a show that Sherman reported that ESPN does not have any intention of canceling. At the same time though, he notes that ESPN “would prefer to create new programming in-house.”
As Schrager continues to assimilate into ESPN, his former NFL Network colleague Rich Eisen recently signed on to bring his weekday sports talk program, The Rich Eisen Show, to the ESPN+ and Disney+ streaming services. With Eisen joining the company in the same slot during which The Pat McAfee Show airs on linear and digital platforms, McAfee questioned whether or not ESPN was sending him a message. McAfee reportedly signed a five-year, $85 million deal for ESPN to license episodes of his program, which officially made its debut in September 2023.
Following the final episode of Around the Horn on Friday, May 23, ESPN will be airing a half-hour edition of SportsCenter in the 5 p.m. EST window throughout the summer. More updates surrounding the weekday afternoon schedule on ESPN will be announced at a later date.
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