BRISTOL, CONN. (AP) - “Monday Night Football” is switching to a two-man booth.
Analyst Ron Jaworski has signed a five-year contract extension to appear on other programming on ESPN and will no longer join play-by-play announcer Mike Tirico and color commentator Jon Gruden on Monday nights, the network said Wednesday.
Jaworski, the former Philadelphia Eagles quarterback, will work various ESPN studio shows year-round, often focusing on his specialty of breaking down video.
“With him doing one game each week, we don’t necessarily believe we were getting the best Ron Jaworski had to offer to the network,” executive vice president Norby Williamson said.
Jaworski called “Monday Night Football” games the past five seasons. Gruden, the former Raiders and Buccaneers coach, joined MNF in 2009 and agreed to a five-year extension in October. This is the first time in 15 years ESPN has used a two-person lead team on its NFL game coverage.
“There was nothing broken about `Monday Night Football,’” Williamson said.
He said network executives believed Tirico and Gruden worked well as a two-man booth and there was no need to add a third person.
“I fully expect Mike Tirico and Jon Gruden to be together for the foreseeable future,” Williamson said.
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