CBS SHACKING UP NFL TODAY: BOOMER ESIASON, PHIL SIMMS OUT, MATT RYAN IN

For years, stability has been the name of the game for both The NFL Today and Fox NFL Sunday, with both shows occasionally sprinkling in some recent former players in minor roles. However, it was inevitable, as 'Thanos,' that one of the shows would make a major move to attract a younger audience.

Since the Super Bowl rumors have circulated like a piece of trash flying around Times Square that CBS Sports has been considering major changes to its "The NFL Today" pregame show. Well, those rumors turned into reality today when Boomer Esiason announced his portion of the moves on his WFAN radio show, followed by a report in The Athletic.

According to The Athletic's Andrew Marchand, Boomer Esiason and Phil Simms will not return to the show. Matt Ryan, the former Atlanta Falcons QB who officially announced his retirement from the NFL last week, will join the pregame panel alongside analysts Bill Cowher, Nate Burleson, and J.J. Watt (part-time), with James Brown continuing his hosting duties.

WHAT THE BOOMER SAID!
Boomer Esiason announced his portion of the news on his WFAN radio show early in the day. He started by saying he had extended his deal to remain with WFAN and that CBS Sports had also extended their deal to continue simulcasting his radio show.

He went on to say that after 22 years, he was leaving The NFL Today; 

“It’s been a very busy year for all of us, all the way through the Super Bowl, coming through the different bankruptcies and things of that nature,” Esiason said, referencing the financial trouble WFAN’s parent company Audacy has experienced in recent years. “So, for the last two months, I’ve been trying to figure out what I wanted to do and where I wanted to be. And one of the places that I want to be is right here at WFAN…I enjoy this more than anything, so I’ve extended extensively into the future.”

“I am stepping away from The NFL Today on CBS,” Esiason announced Monday morning on WFAN. “More their decision than maybe mine. But I really thought the Super Bowl was my swan song and I thought the way CBS handled, especially us in Las Vegas, was amazing. I had been there for 22 years.”

“It’s been an unbelievable run for me and I’m so grateful and privileged to have been there for 22 years,” Esiason told Giannotti after thanking all of the people he worked with on and off the air during his more than two decades with the show. “You and I talked about it at the Super Bowl, I just kinda felt like this was it. Super Bowl LVIII was it. I’ve been a part of so many Super Bowls.”

THE UNDERRATED OPINION
Clearly, CBS Sports is looking to trend younger, which should provide the show with additional social media coverage. 

Matt Ryan was very good in the booth last year, and J.J. Watt is a natural. Now that these moves have been made, it's only a matter of time before Fox follows the trend, or is it?