The changes at ESPN may be far from over. A few hours back, veteran NFL analyst Ryan Clark’s firing stunned many, with criticism dropping around the decision. And now, another veteran analyst/insider with over a decade of experience in the same field will reportedly get cut from the network.

“NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero is expected to be laid off by ESPN on Tuesday,” Front Office Sports reported.

Tom Pelissero was with the NFL Network, working as their secondary lead insider after Ian Rapoport. But due to the merger, ESPN received the rights to make structural changes to the talent roster.

Earlier this year, ESPN and the NFL closed a $3 billion deal that officially merged the league’s media assets directly into the Disney sports empire. Due to this, ESPN gained full ownership and operational control over NFL Network, NFL RedZone, and NFL Fantasy Football. Meanwhile, in exchange, the NFL secured a 10% equity stake in the sports broadcasting network.

The acquisition effectively merged two fully operational sports media groups into a single department. In an internal staff memo issued on Tuesday, July 21, 2026, ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro explicitly noted that “most of the job impacts are tied to the acquisition” and the integration of these combined assets.

“Over the past several months, we’ve made significant progress integrating the NFL assets that we acquired into ESPN. Throughout this process, we have taken the time to carefully evaluate our collective teams, resources, and organizational structure to best position us for the future. As a result, we had to make some difficult decisions about job impacts that we will be communicating today. While most of the job impacts are tied to the acquisition, we will also notify colleagues in other parts of the company today that their positions have been impacted,” Pitaro’s memo read.

With so many overlapping roles after the acquisition, ESPN may have found itself paying for an oversaturated roster of premier, breaking-news NFL insiders. Adam Schefter is looking to extend his contract, and Ian Rapoport is another name on the books, which is why the company may have decided to make the tough decision about Pelissero

However, Pelissero isn’t the only one who will be cut off from the merged unit of ESPN and the NFL.

ESPN cuts NFL analyst Ryan Clark after 11 years of service

On Monday, July 20, 2026, ESPN officially parted ways with former NFL safety and analyst Ryan Clark in a controversial manner that shocked many. Clark was filming a live episode of NFL Live on Monday afternoon. However, during a commercial break, roughly 36 minutes into the broadcast, network management informed him that he was released.

Due to this, Clark did not return to finish the second half of the show. And colleagues Mina Kimes and Adam Schefter filled his empty seat for the remainder of the program. Later, Andrew Marchand of The Athletic revealed the details that the ESPN executives originally planned to notify Clark on Tuesday morning alongside other staff.

However, when external media outlets began inquiring about Clark’s job security, ESPN management rushed to tell him mid-show, fearing he would find out about his termination online while on the clock.

The reason, yet again, could be due to the overlapping roles in the network. Other than that, Ryan Clark signed a contract extension in February 2024 worth over $2 million annually.

As things stand, despite the challenges presented by the decision, Clark remains optimistic as he speaks out for the first time following the layoff. “I’ll continue to build myself so the world can never strip me of what’s real. Get moving today y’all! 🙏🏾,” he wrote on Instagram.

On that note, it will be interesting to see what lies ahead for veteran analysts and insiders like Ryan Clark and Tom Pelissero.