Despite the fact that ESPN acquired NFL Network and, alongside ABC, already had its own version of the show, the former still produced and televised its own coverage of the 2026 NFL Draft. At the time, it felt like the network would continue doing its own thing. Fast forward to now, though, and that no longer seems to be the case anymore.

As the NFL announced the 2026 schedule, many fans tuned into NFL Network expecting its usual big schedule-release special. Instead, what they got was ESPN’s schedule-release show airing on the channel. That only added to the growing feeling that ESPN is slowly absorbing and reshaping NFL Network after taking operational control of it. Longtime NFL Network broadcaster Rich Eisen, who now works for ESPN, too, recently addressed the situation while discussing whether more changes could still be coming.

“The games are still on NFL Network, there’s seven of them,” Eisen said on The Dan Patrick Show. “Five international and two others. I have been told Sunday NFL GameDay Morning that I’m hosting is the same, and so is the [Scouting] Combine and the draft. We’re still going to have the Combine, and we’re still going to have the draft. The rest of it, I mean, we didn’t have a schedule-release show for the first time in years. I don’t know if that’s an indication.”

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ESPN finalized its deal to acquire NFL Network, NFL Fantasy, and the rights to distribute the RedZone channel to cable and satellite operators a couple of months ago. As part of the agreement, the league received a 10% equity stake in ESPN.

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Personalities like Eisen and Ian Rapoport would prefer the NFL Network to continue operating business as usual, considering the network’s success, but it no longer feels guaranteed. NFL Network has already lost its standalone schedule-release show. While Eisen confirmed the network will still broadcast seven games during the 2026 season, there is also growing belief that changes could eventually impact that part of the network.

For a broader context, Eisen previously handled the NFL Network’s international game broadcasts alongside Kurt Warner. But heading into 2026, even that setup may not remain untouched. Rumors have already linked ESPN to building a brand-new No. 2 NFL broadcast booth, with Dave Pasch and Mike Monaco reportedly emerging as leading candidates for the play-by-play role.

Which is why it feels safe to say the transition probably will not happen through one dramatic overhaul overnight. Instead, the changes seem more likely to arrive gradually, one move at a time. And that is usually what happens when a merger this large takes place.

Ian Rapoport became the first to sign with ESPN

“If we were to work together, I think that would be awesome. I have no idea if it is going to happen. But it would be like The Avengers,” said Ian Rapoport back in February about working with ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

At the time, Rapoport was speaking hypothetically. Fast forward to now, though, and that scenario has essentially become reality. Once the $3 billion ESPN-NFL Network merger became official, the impact across the network became immediately noticeable because NFL Network’s talent and staff effectively shifted under ESPN’s umbrella moving forward, especially once existing contracts began expiring.

Meanwhile, Rapoport himself was approaching the end of his NFL Network contract. That naturally created uncertainty around how his future would look after the merger and whether ESPN would fully retain the network’s top insiders heading into 2026.

But amid all of that uncertainty, ESPN reportedly moved quickly and signed Rapoport to a new four-year contract, making him the first major NFL Network personality to officially secure a long-term deal following the merger. That move effectively turned Rapoport and Schefter from longtime media rivals into partners operating under the same umbrella.

At the same time, though, while ESPN clearly valued Rapoport enough to lock him into a multi-year agreement, it is still fair to wonder how much of NFL Network’s original structure will actually survive moving forward. Because the way things are shaping up right now, ESPN already seems to be gradually absorbing and reshaping the league’s network.