Looks like Tom Jackson is done at ESPN.
The mass exodus of big-name talent from ESPN could be set to continue with Tom Jackson, who was described in multiple reports Monday as being close to parting ways with the network. The 65-year-old Jackson, a former Broncos linebacker, has been teamed with Chris Berman on popular NFL-related programs since 1987.
By some reports, Berman himself is entering his final year as a leading voice on ESPN's NFL coverage. "Sunday NFL Countdown" and "Monday Night Countdown" are undergoing major on-air personnel changes at a time when the network has lost the likes of Bill Simmons, Skip Bayless, Colin Cowherd and Mike Tirico.
Bob Raissman of the New York Daily News was the first to report Monday that Jackson was "likely" not to return to his familiar spot on the Sunday "Countdown" panel. "He's still weighing his options," Raissman quoted a source as saying. "This will be Tommy's call. … The situation is fluid."
"My guess is he is going to leave," another source told Raissman. In 2015, Jackson, a member of the Broncos' Ring of Fame, was given the Pete Rozelle Radio-Television Award from the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Pro Football Talk cited "multiple industry sources" in claiming that "Jackson won't be coming back." The website indicated that ESPN's re-hiring of Trent Dilfer, who had been rumored to be heading elsewhere for more money, was based on an expectation of the void Jackson would be leaving behind.
Jackson was selected by Denver in the fourth round of the 1973 NFL draft, and he went on to spend the entirety of his 14-year NFL career with that franchise. He was a three-time Pro Bowler, was named first-team all-pro after the 1977 season and played in two Super Bowls.
If Berman and Jackson both depart by 2017, "Sunday NFL Countdown" would have an entirely different look from 2015, when its panel also featured Cris Carter, Keyshawn Johnson and Mike Ditka, a trio that has been replaced with Dilfer, Randy Moss, Matt Hasselbeck and Charles Woodson.
The mass exodus of big-name talent from ESPN could be set to continue with Tom Jackson, who was described in multiple reports Monday as being close to parting ways with the network. The 65-year-old Jackson, a former Broncos linebacker, has been teamed with Chris Berman on popular NFL-related programs since 1987.
By some reports, Berman himself is entering his final year as a leading voice on ESPN's NFL coverage. "Sunday NFL Countdown" and "Monday Night Countdown" are undergoing major on-air personnel changes at a time when the network has lost the likes of Bill Simmons, Skip Bayless, Colin Cowherd and Mike Tirico.
Bob Raissman of the New York Daily News was the first to report Monday that Jackson was "likely" not to return to his familiar spot on the Sunday "Countdown" panel. "He's still weighing his options," Raissman quoted a source as saying. "This will be Tommy's call. … The situation is fluid."
"My guess is he is going to leave," another source told Raissman. In 2015, Jackson, a member of the Broncos' Ring of Fame, was given the Pete Rozelle Radio-Television Award from the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Pro Football Talk cited "multiple industry sources" in claiming that "Jackson won't be coming back." The website indicated that ESPN's re-hiring of Trent Dilfer, who had been rumored to be heading elsewhere for more money, was based on an expectation of the void Jackson would be leaving behind.
Jackson was selected by Denver in the fourth round of the 1973 NFL draft, and he went on to spend the entirety of his 14-year NFL career with that franchise. He was a three-time Pro Bowler, was named first-team all-pro after the 1977 season and played in two Super Bowls.
If Berman and Jackson both depart by 2017, "Sunday NFL Countdown" would have an entirely different look from 2015, when its panel also featured Cris Carter, Keyshawn Johnson and Mike Ditka, a trio that has been replaced with Dilfer, Randy Moss, Matt Hasselbeck and Charles Woodson.
