Changes are coming to the NFL Network.
On Friday, Front Office Sports’ A.J. Perez reported that the NFL has concluded a round of layoffs, which impacted some NFL Network employees. Per Perez, the layoffs come as the league-owned cable channel “is expected to have an altered programming schedule this upcoming season.”
Awful Announcing has learned that one program whose fate is likely sealed is NFL Total Access with the majority of the show’s staff having been let go today. The hour-long show has been a source of pride for the network, and is often referred to as the “show of record” for the league. The show’s extensive alumni include Scott Hanson, Adam Schefter, Charles Davis, Warren Sapp, Steve Smith, and many more former players. The show’s current lineup consists of Mike Yam, Kimmi Chex, David Carr, Michael Robinson, and Chase Daniel. Overall, the network appears to be moving away from original programming with a greater emphasis on reruns, game replays and archived content.
Reached for comment, an NFL spokesperson told Awful Announcing: “Like any successful organization, the NFL regularly evaluates its workforce to ensure the proper support of strategic priorities including international expansion, the growth of flag football, and the evolution of digital and media platforms. We have made the difficult decision to part ways with some employees to allow us to further invest in these growth areas and ensure the continued strength of our game and the business.”
According The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand, the final episode of NFL Total Access is expected to air on May 17. It is expected to be replaced at least temporarily by an afternoon show featuring Ian Rapoport, Mike Garafolo and Tom Pelissero known as Insiders.
News of the NFL Network’s layoffs and apparent shift in strategy come nearly one month after the league laid off multiple long-time and high profile employees, including Andrew Siciliano, James Palmer, Melissa Stark and Will Selva. Many of the details regarding the future of the network’s de facto flagship show, Good Morning Football, also remain unclear as the show remains on hiatus while shifting its production from New York City to Los Angeles.
In many ways, GMFB‘s long and strange goodbye has epitomized the uncertainty currently surrounding the league-owned network. At this point, we know that Jamie Erdahl will be joining the show in Los Angeles, while the statuses of Peter Schrager, Kyle Brandt and Jason McCourty are still uncertain, although the program made an unannounced return to cover the NFL Draft.
Awful Announcing will continue to update this story as we learn more.
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.