NFL Matt Ryan in, Esiason and Simms out. CBS Sports makes sweeping changes for NFL Today. CBS Sports announced that Matt Ryan will join its NFL Today studio show for the 2024 season. Former Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan will join CBS Sports’ NFL Today studio show for the 2024 season. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
Even NFL studio programs make quarterback changes sometimes.
CBS Sports announced Monday that Matt Ryan, the former Boston College star and the 2016 NFL Most Valuable Player with the Atlanta Falcons, will join its NFL Today studio show for the 2024 season.
Phil Simms and Boomer Esiason — both of whom had accomplished careers as NFL quarterbacks before their long runs at CBS — will not be back next season. Ryan will join host James Brown and analysts Nate Burleson, Bill Cowher, and JJ Watt on the revamped program.
“I grew up watching The NFL Today, so I’m honored to join this iconic show and hope to continue the high standard set by Phil, Boomer and others before me,” said Ryan, who did some work as an NFL analyst for CBS last season before officially retiring last week. “I am thankful for this exciting new opportunity and can’t wait to get started with my new teammates.”
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The change marks an end of an era at CBS. Both Simms and Esiason had been at the network for decades. Simms, the Super Bowl MVP for the New York Giants, joined CBS in 1998 as a color analyst. During his time paired with Jim Nantz as the No. 1 team, he called dozens of Patriots games during the first phase of their dynasty. He moved to the studio in 2017 when CBS hired recently retired Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo as its top analyst.
Esiason hadn’t been with CBS as long as Simms, but his run on NFL Today was much longer. He joined the program in 2002, when Nantz was the studio host and analysts included Deion Sanders, Dan Marino, and Charlie Casserly. Esiason co-hosts the “Boomer and Gio” morning show on sports radio WFAN in New York. That show also airs on the CBS Sports Network.
Matt Ryan in, Esiason and Simms out
