Peter Schrager is the newest addition to ESPN’s daily television lineup, and he will lean on his NFL Network experience to help make it a success.
The NFL reporter and insider started at Fox Sports but rose to nationwide prominence on NFL Network’s Good Morning Football. His chemistry and connection with his teammates, along with the show’s relaxed vibe, made it a perennial hit and a much-needed respite from the intensity of sports debate often seen on television.
In 2025, Schrager made the move to ESPN and immediately made an impact, showing up on a number of shows with his trademark positivity and energy. However, things didn’t always go smoothly thanks to a viral run-in with Ryan Clark.
Recently, ESPN finally announced the worst-kept secret in the industry: Peter Schrager would be making another leap towards headlining his own daily show in the network lineup. While the conversation around ESPN’s schedule mostly centered on what would replace the outgoing Around the Horn at 5 p.m. ET, the new Big Day with Peter Schrager will air at 2 p.m. ET following The Pat McAfee Show.
There is a lot of pressure on Schrager’s shoulders, given that headlining a weekday ESPN show is one of the biggest roles you can get in sports media. And in an interview with Jimmy Traina, Schrager shared his philosophy behind what he’s hoping to accomplish with his new program. And if it sounds like it’s a lot like the formula that made GMFB a success, it’s because it is.
A good hang. Every single day. Smart and engaging sports talk with people you would want to hang with or wouldn’t mind being randomly seated next to on a plane. No smugness. No ego. And natural conversation – not scripted – is the hope. Our vision is we make you a little smarter about the sports you’re watching and you get a chance to laugh a bit, too. My favorite shows over the years – “Mike and the Mad Dog,” Howard Stern, Tim Heideker and his group, “The Breakfast Club,” “Pardon the Interruption,” Dan Patrick, Bill Simmons and his guys, the “Pardon My Take” guys, “Son of a Boy Dad,” Dave Portnoy and Mintzy and Rico Bosco, Pat McAfee and his crew – there’s always a bit of a show within the show, which can end up being as interesting as the show, itself. That’s when it’s the best: when you feel like the viewer is part of the chaos. We’ve been in the lab all summer working on things and I feel good about it. The hope all along has been really paying tribute to what we all fell in love with watching ESPN back in the day and maximizing the best of what the network has going on now. And a lot of the same spirit of the funny “asymmetric“ stuff we pushed at “Good Morning Football” we are going to try to pull off here, too.
This new program is the natural next step forward as ESPN seeks to evolve beyond “Embrace Debate” and towards a new conversational, easy-going style. It’s part of a philosophical shift at the network under new head of news and entertainment Mike Foss. Instead of finding a foil for Schrager to bounce takes off of, the hope is that the show will feature a rotating group of individuals both inside and outside ESPN, who may change each day.
For those hoping that a potential reunion with Kyle Brandt might be on the cards as part of it, Schrager also confirmed to Traina that both he and fellow former Good Morning Football panelist Jason McCourty are planned to appear on the show as well as other former friends from NFL Network and new friends at ESPN.
Big Day with Peter Schrager will debut on September 10.
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