CBS shakes up “The NFL Today” by dropping Boomer Esiason and Phil Simms and adding Matt Ryan

There were rumors that CBS was considering revamping its pregame show, The NFL Today. Now the network is making some changes.

Boomer Esiason and Phil Simms will not be returning to the show, Andrew Marchand of The Athletic reports. Another former NFL quarterback, Matt Ryan, will join the pregame panel with analysts Bill Cowher and Nate Burleson and moderator James Brown.

Esiason, the former Cincinnati Bengals and New York Jets quarterback, has been on “The NFL Today” for 22 years. He announced on his WFAN radio morning show Monday that he would not be returning.

“I am retiring from 'The NFL Today' on CBS,” Esiason said, while also announcing that he had signed a contract extension with WFAN. “More their decision than maybe mine, but I really thought the Super Bowl was my swansong and I thought the way CBS handled especially us guys out there in Las Vegas was great.”

Simms, who won two Super Bowls as quarterback of the New York Giants, joined “The NFL Today” in 2017 after spending 13 years as a top game analyst at CBS alongside announcer Jim Nantz. (Prior to that, he played games with Greg Gumbel for six seasons.)

Ryan joined CBS during the 2023-24 NFL season after being released by the Indianapolis Colts. The 15-year veteran (who played 14 seasons for the Atlanta Falcons) was open to continuing his playing career, as he called game broadcasts with Andrew Catalon and Tiki Barber, but no team expressed interest.

Last week, Ryan officially announced his retirement. Knowing he was ready to become a full-time broadcaster likely prompted CBS to include him on “The NFL Today.”