It looks like Nate Burleson is keeping his day job.
The former NFL receiver has been a fixture on The NFL Today since 2017. In August 2021, Burleson became one of the only sportscasters to cross over into a regular role on a network news show when he was named a cohost of CBS Mornings.
But since former New York Times columnist Bari Weiss took over as Editor-in-Chief of CBS News last year, the network has undergone sweeping changes across all its television properties, including the promotion of former CBS Mornings cohost Tony Dokoupil to the network’s nightly news anchor.
CBS got some badly needed clarity on its morning show on Wednesday when it announced a new contract for Gayle King, the show’s third cohost. And as part of the announcement, the lead executive at CBS News shared a promising note on Burleson’s future.
“Gayle and Nate Burleson are fantastic partners on the show, and morning TV is more vibrant than ever,” said Tom Cibrowski, the president and executive editor at CBS News. “We are excited to continue to evolve CBS Mornings and can’t wait for what’s to come.”
Previous reporting Burleson was likely out. But both Deadline and Variety wrote that Cibrowski’s comments in the wake of the King extension were a solid indication that Burleson was staying put.
Burleson will also anchor early rounds of NCAA men’s basketball tournament coverage in place of Eddie Johnson.
Burleson fills a valuable niche on CBS Mornings as both a connection to the sports world and the show’s youngest contributor (especially with Dokoupil gone). But he is not a traditional newscaster, meaning that, with the former NFL wideout staying put, CBS could still look to round out the lineup with someone who brings a more conventional journalism background to the remaining seat.
About Brendon Kleen
Brendon is a Media Commentary staff writer at Awful Announcing. He has also covered basketball and sports business at Front Office Sports, SB Nation, Uproxx and more.