ESPN Drops Rich Eisen From NFL Booth, Taps Dave Pasch After NFL Network Deal

Q: Now that Rich Eisen is out, which NFL Network star is next to be replaced by ESPN talent?

Tom Pelissero appears to be the next notable NFL Network figure whose status is most in doubt as ESPN reshapes the channel. The reporting around Rich Eisen’s removal from play-by-play points to a broader ESPN review of inherited NFL Network talent after the acquisition. In that review, Pelissero stands out because his contract situation is explicitly unresolved. The available reporting says Mike Garafolo is close to a new deal, Ian Rapoport is expected to be retained, but Pelissero is the member of *The Insiders* still awaiting a potential renewal. That does not mean Pelissero has already been replaced. It means he is the clearest next candidate for change if ESPN decides to use its own NFL reporting depth more heavily. ESPN already has a large insider and reporter bench, so if Pelissero were not renewed, his role could be absorbed internally rather than filled by a direct one-for-one NFL Network successor. There has already been at least one smaller sign of ESPN making cuts: fill-in *Good Morning Football* host Will Blackmon was not renewed. But among the more prominent NFL Network personalities, Pelissero is the name most directly tied to uncertainty. So, after Eisen’s booth exit, Pelissero is the best answer to who may be next, though his case remains a contract decision rather than a confirmed replacement.

1 articles · Updated · Fox News · Jul 3

Rich Eisen said he is "done" calling NFL games after ESPN removed him from play-by-play duties on NFL Network-exclusive broadcasts and chose Dave Pasch as his replacement.
ESPN made the change after acquiring NFL Network, with Eisen's game calls drawing sustained criticism and Eisen himself saying his studio-host instinct to fill silence clashed with play-by-play work.
Pasch is expected to take over as he exits his Arizona Cardinals role, giving ESPN one of its established play-by-play voices for the network's NFL package.
Eisen still remains in ESPN's plans outside the booth, with a separate deal already carrying his daily radio show on ESPN Radio and Disney+ and additional SportsCenter appearances.