themirror
ESPN moved quickly to fill the void left by Ryan Clark on its NFL Live panel, turning to a recently retired player to step in on a temporary basis. The network parted ways with Clark last week as part of a broader round of cuts tied to its merger with NFL Network.
Several other on-air personalities were also dismissed, including former quarterback Cam Newton, longtime baseball announcer Karl Ravech, and NFL insider Tom Pelissero. With multiple vacancies now open, ESPN appears to be auditioning candidates for Clark's former seat.
On Monday's edition of NFL Live, two-time Pro Bowler Adam Thielen joined host Laura Rutledge, Mina Kimes, and Jason McCourty to discuss league developments. Thielen announced his retirement in January after a 13-year career with the Minnesota Vikings, Carolina Panthers, and Pittsburgh Steelers.
Just weeks after hanging up his cleats, Thielen made his first pundit appearance on NFL Network's GameDay Live. During his NFL Live appearance, he shared his perspective on the Vikings' quarterback competition between J.J. McCarthy, his former teammate, and Kyler Murray.
“I think it's Kyler Murray's job to lose. I do,” Thielen said. “I think it's Kyler Murray's job right now, but if J.J. comes and shows up and shows exactly what he wasn't doing well last year, and he shows—first of all, when you see J.J. in person and you're around him, you want to be around him. He's a great leader. He's fun to be around. He's just like this guy that everyone just loves. So at the end of the day, they drafted him in the first round. They want him to have success. So if he comes and shows it, he could win that job. But right now it's Kyler's job.”
Thielen's opinion carries weight around the NFL, as ESPN's Adam Schefter noted on a subsequent episode of Get Up: “When Adam Thielen says that, then you have to assume that it is Kyler Murray's job to lose.”
Thielen's new opportunity comes amid a turbulent time in the broadcasting world, with many on-air talents now seeking new positions after ESPN's layoffs. Clark took to social media to offer support for those affected, writing on X: “Sending prayers and love to all those laid off today by ESPN. So many of you have poured your life into that company, & I know how you're feeling right now. My hope is as this door closes another opens for you all. God bless!”
On The Pivot podcast, Clark reflected on his decade-long tenure at ESPN, expressing regret over his interactions with network executives. When asked if he would have done anything differently, Clark said: “Probably work harder to be who they wanted me to be or build relationships with like bosses or executives because it's just a relationship game. Like I just see these people on TV who aren't better than me, but I know I've never been at the tables they've been accepted at. So yeah, there's some things I would do differently.”
Originally reported by themirror.