Good Morning Football Kyle Brandt Screen grab: ‘Good Morning Football’
By Sam Neumann on

Good Morning Football had one of modern sports media’s longest, strangest goodbyes. We all saw tears flow freely as heartfelt sentiments and deep reflections filled the air. And with that, the future of the NFL Network’s signature morning show was supposed to remain on hold. After a lengthy farewell tour, the program was taking a hiatus until summer.

When it returns, a revamped version will greet viewers from the league’s Los Angeles headquarters.

But then unexpectedly, the show returned on Thursday. They were supposed to go dark for the offseason, but with a day’s notice, a cast of Jane Slater, Jason McCourty, Peter Schrager, Kyle Brandt and Tom Pelissero returned for NFL Draft coverage from Thursday-Saturday.

The show’s hiatus right before the NFL Draft raised eyebrows, leaving many questioning the logic of going off-air during the offseason. But after long, drawn-out goodbyes, it doesn’t make sense that the show somehow returned for three days to cover the NFL Draft with no prior notice of this happening.

It’s not that GMFB needs anyone’s permission to return, but there was no mention of a return for draft coverage. There seemed to be an understanding that the show would be on hiatus until the summer, as the futures of Schrager and Brandt, amongst others, hung in the balance.

Their brief reappearance for the draft only to vanish again into a cloud of uncertainty after Saturday furthers confusion about the show’s future. The cast and crew that offered tearful goodbyes would have said, “We’ll be back for the draft” during their farewell if they knew that was coming.

The sudden return of Good Morning Football just for the draft, followed by another hiatus, just reeks of disorganization. The Los Angeles relocation already felt rushed, and this surprise pop-up feels tacky and thrown together. Breaking the hiatus for a single weekend doesn’t make sense, nor does a last-minute scramble with zero promotion for a show with a signature following of loyal viewers.

It’s just a confusing mess that leaves us wondering what the plan for the show’s future is. And are they all going to say goodbye — again — at the end of the weekend? It just doesn’t pass the smell test.

[Good Morning Football on X]

About Sam Neumann

Since the beginning of 2023, Sam has been a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. A 2021 graduate of Temple University, Sam is a Charlotte native, who currently calls Greenville, South Carolina his home. He also has a love/hate relationship with the New York Mets and Jets.

View all posts by Sam Neumann