To no one’s surprise, ESPN plans to shake up its “Monday Night Football” broadcast booth.
Play-by-play man Joe Tessitore and color commentator Booger McFarland won’t return to call ESPN’s NFL games after two seasons on the broadcast team, The Athletic reported.
“The successors will be internal” and “Both Tessitore and McFarland will remain in prominent roles at ESPN,” The Athletic’s sports media reporter Richard Deitsch tweeted.
The pair rarely received high marks from critics during their two seasons on the job in 2018 and 2019. In 2018, when the crew was new following the departure of Jon Gruden to coach the Raiders, they were joined by novice analyst Jason Witten in the broadcast booth while McFarland worked from a contraption dubbed “the Booger-mobile” from the sidelines — which blocked some fans’ views.
Reports this offseason have indicated ESPN made runs at both Tony Romo and Peyton Manning. Romo’s contract with CBS was set to expire, but he agreed to a massive new extension, while Manning continues to shy away from a full-time broadcast gig.
The network also reportedly tried to “trade” for Al Michaels from NBC, a move NBC blocked.
McFarland likely will still appear on ESPN shows as an NFL analyst. Tessitore, before joining “Monday Night Football,” mainly focused on college football and boxing coverage.
• Adam Zielonka can be reached at azielonka@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.