ESPN has parted ways with Ryan Clark, and the timing caught plenty of attention.
According to The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand, Clark was told of the decision during Monday’s edition of NFL Live. ESPN and the NFL Network are both expected to go through layoffs on Tuesday, but Clark was informed ahead of that wave for reasons that weren’t immediately clear.
Clark had spent more than a decade at ESPN and was making more than $2 million, Marchand reported. He was also expected to play a major role in the network’s Super Bowl LXI coverage next year, when ESPN is set to broadcast the game for the first time.
Marchand also pointed to a broader issue that had reportedly strained Clark’s standing with ESPN executives. He wrote that they had grown frustrated with Clark over problems tied to his words, a tension that peaked during an on-air and off-air exchange with colleague Peter Schrager earlier this season.
The incident came on Get Up last September, after Schrager defended Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb following an opening-night loss. Clark shot back, “That’s the non-player in you.”
Schrager pushed back, telling Clark not to belittle him and noting that other viewpoints were valid. Clark answered, “Peter, what I need for you to do is not get mad and let me finish.”
Later that day, Clark posted an apology on social media, writing, “Today, I had an interaction with my colleague (Schrager) both on and off the air that I regret.”
The exchange drew plenty of attention and became a distraction for ESPN as the NFL season was just getting started.
That wasn’t the only time Clark’s ESPN future played out publicly. Before he signed a new deal with the network in 2024, he used social media to say his contract had expired.
“Three 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.
“I knew it would take effort. I knew that effort didn’t promise results, but I dug in.
Here we are now. 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!”
Clark eventually landed that new contract, but the process was very much out in the open.
Now 46, Clark played 13 NFL seasons at safety and is best known for his eight years with the Steelers. He helped Pittsburgh win Super Bowl XLIII and made the Pro Bowl in 2011. After retiring as a Steeler in February 2015, he moved into broadcasting.
ESPN hired him as an NFL analyst in March 2015, and he became a familiar face on NFL Live, Get Up! and First Take. In 2022, he also launched The Pivot podcast with Fred Taylor and Channing Crowder, covering sports, lifestyle and issues that affect athletes away from the field.
After more than 10 years with ESPN, Clark is now a free agent.
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