Jonathan Jones Credit: CBS Sports
By Matt Yoder on

UPDATE: Jonathan Jones announced later in the day on Thursday hat his next stop is indeed The Athletic.

CBS Sports will be in need of a new NFL reporter and insider when their coverage of the 2026 season begins this fall as Jonathan Jones is leaving the company.

Jones first joined CBS in 2019 after tenures nationally at Sports Illustrated and locally covering the Carolina Panthers for the Charlotte Observer. Earlier this month, it was reported by Front Office Sports that Jones would be leaving his role as CBS’s lead NFL insider to join The Athletic. Jones had been in that capacity since 2022 making appearances across CBS’s NFL platforms including their flagship pregame show The NFL Today.

In an announcement on his social media page on Thursday morning, Jones confirmed he was leaving CBS Sports while teasing that a revelation about his next stop would be coming soon.


Jonathan Jones has received praise for his work at CBS Sports going beyond the transactional work that is often associated with insiders. If he does indeed move to The Athletic, it would represent a major signing for the publication that would help fill the void of NFL reporting left after the messy resignation of Dianna Russini earlier this year.

As for CBS Sports, it leaves a gaping hole in their coverage plans for the 2026 NFL season. Jones was a huge part of what the network did across a number of platforms on television and online. However, it just so happens that a well-respected NFL insider just became available after ESPN laid off veteran NFL Network reporter Tom Pelissero this week in a round of layoffs. Given Pelissero reportedly had another year on his contract, all sides would have to work out a deal together. But it seems like such an obvious fit for everyone involved that it would certainly make sense if it comes to fruition.

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