Jimmy Johnson was one of the key early hires when he joined Fox Sports’ new Fox NFL Sunday pregame show in 1994. The network needed instant gravitas as it took over the NFC TV package long held by CBS Sports. At the time, CBS’s groundbreaking The NFL Today was regarded as the role model for NFL studio shows. Johnson was coming off back-to-back Super Bowl victories with the Cowboys. Johnson, CBS veterans Terry Bradshaw and James Brown, and newly retired Howie Long became an unbeatable combination through a mix of knowledge, chemistry, and humor. 

Fast-forward to today, and the NFL TV landscape looks completely different. Fox NFL Sunday has been No. 1 in its time slot for an unprecedented 31 seasons. With insider Jay Glazer, host Curt Menefee, and new additions like Rob Gronkowski, the show is in good hands as the 81-year-old Johnson heads into TV retirement after more than 20 years with the show. The former Cowboys coach announced he was hanging up his microphone during Monday’s telecast of The Herd with Colin Cowherd. During his appearance on Cowherd’s show, Johnson said: “I loved every minute of it. … It was really the best time of my career.” Added Fox Sports boss Eric Shanks in a statement: “Coach will be sincerely missed and we wish him the best as he sets sail into retirement, like only Jimmy Johnson can.”

Will Shanks replace Johnson with another retired coach? Maybe. It’s typical for studio shows to have an ex-coach. Think Bill Cowher of CBS’s The NFL Today, Tony Dungy on NBC’s Football Night in America, and Rex Ryan on ESPN’s Sunday NFL Countdown. 

Every network emphasizes analysts who have won Super Bowl championships, and none more so than Fox. With Bill Belichick having won six Lombardi Trophies as a head coach and having returned to coaching with his job at North Carolina, there aren’t a ton of bold-faced names out there to replace Johnson.

Jon Gruden would be the most vibrant long-term hire, but his candidacy is complicated by his fractious relationship with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and pending litigation against the league. Gruden, who won a Super Bowl with the Buccaneers, signed a multiyear contract with Barstool Sports last year. 

Mike McCarthy (no relation) might be a dark horse, one high-placed sports media insider speculated. McCarthy has coached at two cornerstone franchises in the NFC—Green Bay and Dallas—where Fox has a bulk of the games. Cowboys alumni get especially high-profile opportunities with NFL rights partners. 

Other available coaches with Super Bowl rings include Doug Pederson (who won in Philadelphia) and Ron Rivera (who reached a Super Bowl as coach of the Panthers and won one as a player on the fabled 1985 Bears). Rivera became an administrator for the football program at his alma mater, the University of California, last month. 

McCarthy and Rivera could be seen as quasi-bridge candidates ahead of active head coaches like Sean McVay and Mike Tomlin. McVay appeared on Fox’s Super Bowl pregame coverage last month, and decision-makers at several networks believe Tomlin has high upside as a broadcaster. Andy Reid also looms as a potential NFL studio analyst someday when he retires from the Chiefs, who have reached five of the last six Super Bowls—and won three.  

It is not definitive that Fox will name a replacement for Johnson, who was no longer on the studio show every week. The network has a deep roster of talent it can call upon if it chooses not to immediately add another coach to the set. 

Bill Belichick and North Carolina won’t be appearing on Hard Knocks after all.

Last week, Front Office Sports reported that the legendary former NFL head coach and his new college program were set to appear on the HBO docuseries. 

However, talks broke down at the last minute.

“NFL Films had discussions with Coach Belichick and UNC about appearing on Hard Knocks this offseason but couldn’t reach an agreement,” an NFL Media spokesperson told CBS Sports reporter Jonathan Jones in a statement. NFL Media encompasses NFL Films, which produces Hard Knocks. Jones reported that talks broke down at the last minute due to “creative control” issues. 

ProFootballTalk’s Mike Florio reports that the deal was kiboshed at least in part because there was a cohort of NFL owners unhappy about lending the prestige of NFL Films to Belichick.

Nevertheless, it’s possible that another platform picks up the docuseries on Belichick’s program, a source told FOS. 

The program is likely to be produced by RedBird IMI-backed EverWonder Studio, which also produced “The Showdown” golf match, the Players Era NIL basketball tournament, and Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson, a source close to the situation said. (RedBird IMI is also an investor in Front Office Sports.)

“We’ve had a lot of offers from people all over to come in and look at our program and kind of do the behind-the-scenes things, but I don’t think anything’s yet been official or signed,” UNC GM Michael Lombardi told Pat McAfee last week.

Hard Knocks had sought to partner with the college program after NFL Films was unable to find a team willing to participate following last year’s series with the Giants. A scene where GM Joe Schoen made the decision not to retain Saquon Barkley was particularly stinging given how the season played out for both sides. 

However, while CBS reports it’s “unlikely” there will be a Hard Knocks centered on the offseason again this year, the annual show covering training camp will still air later this summer. 

MLB is currently hustling to get a chunk of its national live rights in order after ESPN opted out of its deal for Sunday Night Baseball, the Home Run Derby, and the wild-card playoff round. 

Last week, Puck’s John Ourand reported MLB has had “early” talks with companies including NBCUniversal, Netflix, and Amazon, but noted that the talks “are as focused on 2028, when all of baseball’s national rights go on the block” versus just encompassing the package that ESPN opted out of. 

One source told Front Office Sports that the idea of adding MLB “intrigues” NBC in part because it would mean that the network could have a premium live sporting event on Sunday nights all year long. NBC plans to build on the great success of Sunday Night Football by putting big NBA games in that slot after football season. Baseball could theoretically cover the remainder of the calendar. 

Nevertheless, another source posed a question of the obvious possible roadblock: “At what price?” 

An NBC spokesperson declined to comment. 

ESPN was slated to pay $550 million per year through 2028, and The Wall Street Journal reported the network was willing to commit “no more than $200 million a year.” Last year, ESPN’s Sunday night package averaged 1.51 million viewers for the season, its highest ratings since 2019. 

It has been widely reported that MLB rights deals where Apple pays $85 million for Friday night games and Roku pays $10 million for a Sunday package rankled ESPN. 

The Fit

MLB and NBC have a lengthy history together, as they were partners from 1947 to 1989 and 1994 to 2000. There was also a Sunday package on NBC’s Peacock streaming service from 2022 to 2023. 

NBC does a great job of presenting the NFL and the Olympics, with crisp production and broadcasters. It would be a great home for MLB if the financials made sense for both sides. 

September would be a tricky month for baseball due to Sunday Night Football, but NBC could air baseball and football in different windows, or put baseball on Peacock. The network also has NASCAR races on Sundays. 

“I think the market is going to be surprised at the enthusiasm and uptake on the interest in these sets of rights,” Braves chairman Terry McGuirk said, regarding the Sunday rights.

Fox has the biggest tranche of MLB rights, which includes the annual World Series package.

Joy Taylor’s absence from FS1’s Speak has reached a second week.

Last week, Front Office Sports reported Taylor was “sidelined” by FS1 from appearing on the ensemble talk show. The reason why the network made this decision remains unclear, and a Fox Sports spokesperson declined to comment. 

Taylor has now been out for six consecutive shows following a vacation from the program. Her social media accounts still indicate she is a host for it, as does the TV guide on cable systems. 

Taylor was named along with FS1 boss Charlie Dixon and former network host Skip Bayless in a lawsuit filed by former Fox hairstylist Noushin Faraji earlier this year. Bayless left the network last year, and The Athletic reported Dixon was placed on leave by the network after a second lawsuit was filed by former on-air personality Julie Stewart-Binks. 

Attorneys for Taylor, Bayless, and Fox Sports have asked for the suit to be dismissed. 

Monday’s edition of Speak was hosted by Keyshawn Johnson, Paul Pierce, Ric Bucher, and T.J. Houshmandzadeh.