The NFL decided to make some changes, one that quietly reshaped the calendar, breaking away from a Sunday tradition strategically positioned between the conference championships and the Super Bowl for years. For the first time ever, a Pro Bowl game will be held on a Tuesday. And with that shift came something fans hadn’t experienced since the final weekend of August: A Sunday without a single NFL game. Top analyst on Sunday NFL Countdown, Tedy Bruschi, was the first to address it on X:

“No show today. What a season in NYC! See you at the Super Bowl. ESPN Sunday NFL Countdown.”

The change came against the backdrop of the league not wanting to have a full-fledged game, which could put players at risk of injury. Instead, they installed a 7-on-7 flag football tournament in its place in 2023. So, the idea is of an exhibition. It also works well with flag football’s popularity among younger generations of fans. That said, the league still took a major risk by moving it to Tuesday, which falls in the middle of Super Bowl week.

After all, reports suggested that the Pro Bowl’s viewership fell in 2025. And with the NBA and NHL in their regular season, the audience’s attention could be divided. However, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell believes the changes will benefit the players.

“We’ve spent a lot of time evolving our Pro Bowl, talking about how to make our Pro Bowl more attractive, both for our players participating but also our fans,” Goodell mentioned in 2025. “We spent a great deal of time talking about the objectives, and the objectives really are to celebrate and honor our incredible players, and second is to use our game as a global platform.”

That said, Bruschi also shared a series of behind-the-scenes pictures captured at the show’s set, taken throughout the season, including with co-analyst and Hall of Famer Randy Moss. Moss has been with ESPN for approximately nine years, although he took a brief hiatus in 2024. On the other hand, Bruschi has been breaking down NFL Sundays on ESPN since 2019, bringing Patriots insight and no-nonsense analysis to Sunday NFL Countdown.

So, while the audience will miss the show, they have a lot to look forward to. On Super Bowl Sunday, Postseason NFL Countdown expands to four hours from Levi’s Stadium, with NFL Primetime and Chris Berman following the final whistle. Special coverage will continue with various segments planned for the viewers.

After an absence this week, the show will conclude broadcasting following the Super Bowl between the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks next Sunday.

In the regular season, the show ran for 18 consecutive weeks, simplifying each game for the fans. During the playoffs, they transitioned to the Postseason NFL Countdown, covering Wild Card, Divisional, and Conference Championship games this season.

While Sunday NFL Countdown is off air, ESPN has recently made a huge announcement that could potentially influence the league’s future in a big way.

ESPN takes over NFL media in a billion-dollar shakeup

ESPN and the NFL made a billion-dollar deal on January 31, 2026, following approval from the government. As per the agreement, ESPN could receive complete control of the media assets of the league, meaning the NFL Network is set to be part of ESPN Unlimited, the company’s DTC streaming service.

In addition, ESPN will also get the broadcasting rights for the popular channel, NFL RedZone. However, the deal doesn’t only benefit ESPN. In exchange, the NFL will get 10% of ESPN’s equity, which is valued in billions. It’s a swap deal, which will benefit both parties.

“The NFL and ESPN are pleased to announce the official closing of the sale of NFL Network and other NFL Media assets to ESPN,” the NFL and ESPN issued in a mutual statement. “With the closing, we will begin integrating NFL employees into ESPN in the months ahead. As we look to the future, NFL fans can look forward to expanded NFL programming, greater access to NFL Network, innovative Fantasy experiences and unparalleled coverage of America’s most popular sport.”

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Following the conclusion of the deal, NFL employees will be eligible to work for ESPN next season. Therefore, Randy Moss could be joined by more experts on the Sunday NFL Countdown. But as of now, the plan for next week’s Super Bowl remains the same.

The integration between ESPN and NFL Network won’t happen overnight, especially given how central both are to year-round league coverage. NFL Network is set to fall under ESPN’s expanding umbrella, which already includes channels like ESPN2, the SEC Network, and the ACC Network. That shift could blur lines, potentially putting ESPN’s Adam Schefter and NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, who fight for scoops as insiders, on each other’s platforms for the first time.

Sunday NFL Countdown may take a pause, but the NFL’s biggest stage is set. ESPN’s billion-dollar play reshapes how fans will watch every snap.