Tom Rinaldi spoofs himself in ‘First Things First’ cold open

Tom Rinaldi is one of the great essayists and narrators of our generation. FS1’s First Things First recruited the distinguished former ESPN and current Fox Sports reporter to start its annual NFL Predictions Week with a bang — or rather, with a poetic whisper.

“Every autumn, before a single snap is taken, before a single overreaction fills the airwaves, there is a ritual,” Rinaldi narrated in the show’s cold open to Monday’s show. “Not in Canton, but here, on First Things First. A place where certainty is borrowed, confidence manufactured. Dignity? Entirely optional.”

Welcome to First Things First NFL Predictions Week.@getnickwright | @kevinwildes | @Chris_Broussard pic.twitter.com/Ap8QPDT6pu

— First Things First (@FTFonFS1) August 31, 2026

Rinaldi ran through several famed First Things First bits. Kevin Wildes walking through the Door of Destiny. Nick Wright appearing in a hospital bed or hanging banners. Chris Broussard singing with a choir and wearing a Baltimore Ravens robe.

“Some predictions will age beautifully,” Rinaldi said. “Others replayed mercilessly in January. Because that’s the beauty of this week. Hope requires no evidence. Confidence needs no apology. And for one glorious moment, every fan, every analyst, every outrageous prediction is undefeated. So, welcome to First Things First NFL Predictions Week. God help us.”

And they say journalism is dead.

First Things First replayed the montage to start its second hour, when Broussard, Wildes, Wright, and Greg Jennings actually predicted the AFC East and NFC East. But before making their picks, Wright posed a question.

“Famously, at least for us, we lost the Emmy this past year,” Wright said. “Tom’s got, I think, 19 [Emmys]. I might have made that number up, but I think that’s correct. Here’s my question: is this now technically an Emmy-winning show? Because Tom Rinaldi’s on it. Tom Rinaldi is now officially on the show.”

Broussard and Wildes jokingly said they must be, to which Wright said, “Boys, we’ve done it!”

First Things First earned its first Sports Emmy nomination but lost the Outstanding Sports Studio Show: Daily category to ESPN’s NFL Live in May. Maybe a little bit of Tom Rinaldi gravitas will be enough to put them over the top next year.