ESPN layoffs: Second round of job cuts to come soon? Sports network fires NFL analyst Ryan Clark — Here's what we know

United States sports network ESPN has laid off National Football League analyst and former NFL champion Ryan Clark on 20 July (local time), a day ahead of schedule, amid fears the announcement would be leaked before he was informed, according to a report by The Athletic, citing sources.

Emmy-Award winning Clark has been with the network for 11 years drawing $2 million annually. Speculation over Clark's ouster has been doing the rounds since February (after the Super Bowl) and gained steam last week. ESPN declined to comment on queries about Clark or other layoffs, the publication, part of The New York Times (NYT) added.

Why Ryan Clark was informed during show

He was reportedly on air for the ‘NFL Live’ segment on Monday when he was informed and did not finish the broadcast after being told, it added.

On the timing, another report by the Sports Business Journal, citing sources within ESPN, also reported that the cut was supposed to be announced on 21 July. But the network began receiving media queries and feared Clark would learn about the decision before they could tell him.

Second round of layoffs: More job cuts coming?

His, is the first, in a second round of layoffs, as per The Athletic's report.

ESPN, owned by Disney, acquired the NFL Network in February. The latter received a 10% stake in ESPN in a deal valued at around $3 billion, according to a Reuters report. It added that Disney is looking to cut more roles, including on-air personnel, on 21 July.

According to The Athletic, a number of the cuts would be of on-air personalities based at ESPN headquarters in Bristol, Connecticut, as well as a larger number of employees, both on- and off-the-air, from NFL Network.

Who is Ryan Clark? About the former NFL safety

Clark played 13 seasons in the NFL — the New York Giants (2002), Washington Redskins (2004-2005), and the Pittsburgh Steelers (2006-2014). The 46-year-old entered the league as a “free-agent” and joined ESPN after the 2014 season.

Among his more known features was three years on the network's ‘Monday Night Countdown’ alongside host Scott Van Pelt and analysts Jason Kelce and Marcus Spears. He also had regular spots on ‘First Take’ and ‘Get Up’ and hosted his own podcast ‘The Pivot’.

Clark was in the spotlight in 2024 due to a “very public” re-negotiation with ESPN after the Super Bowl, the Athletic report added. In posts on X (formerly known as Twitter), he expressed gratefulness for an extension.

He wrote: “3 years ago I signed an extension with ESPN. I was so grateful for more time. I (was) excited to prove I was worth more, felt I deserved more. We disagreed, & that’s ok. I set out on a mission to leave no doubt, end all conversations about who I was in this business. The season is over. The deal is up. Time to make a decision. Either way it goes. The mission don’t change. I want to be the best doing it. Everyone should. I’m more motivated today than ever. I’m still the same #UndraftedFreeAgent!”

(With inputs from Reuters)