ESPN to poach FOX analyst as network stocks up on talent for Super Bowl coverage

ESPN is reportedly trying to poach FOX Sports NFL analyst Peter Schrager as the network begins to stock up on talent ahead of its Super Bowl coverage in 2027

ESPN is reportedly set to poach FOX Sports and NFL Network analyst Peter Schrager.

The 42-year-old NFL insider has been a prominent fixture on FOX Sports and NFL Network’s coverage in recent years but looks set to be on the move. The ‘Good Morning Football’ host is reportedly set to make the switch to join ESPN, according to The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand.

While no contract has been signed between the two, should Schrager join ‘The Worldwide Leader in Sports’, he would contribute to ESPN’s daily coverage of ‘NFL Live,’ ‘Get Up,’ and ‘First Take,’ as well as other programming. The move could also be seen as another indication ESPN is looking to ramp up its talent ahead of calling Super Bowl LXI in 2027, the network’s first ever.

Front Office Sports also reports there is a possibility if ESPN and Schrager agree to terms in the coming weeks, he could appear on the network as part of their NFL Draft coverage, with the first round slated to take place in Green Bay next month on Thursday, April 24.

The move to sign up Schrager would also see them look to continue their big hires of recent years. The network will also call the Super Bowl again in 2031 after 2027 in Los Angeles at SoFi Stadium, with Joe Buck and Troy Aikman in the booth.

Recently, ESPN added another FOX Sports veteran in the form of Artie Kempner, who joined the network to become Monday Night Football’s new director, reuniting him with Buck and Aikman.

Previously, Kempner, an Emmy Award-winning director, directed two Super Bowls with Buck and Aikman at the helm during their time at FOX, which ended when they joined ESPN in 2022.

“A singular talent [Kempner] dropped into our laps,” ESPN content president Burke Magnus told Puck News. “We could not have done this a year from now.

“We couldn’t go into the season when we have a Super Bowl with a new director. But two years before, with two regular seasons to go and then a Super Bowl? This was the moment, if we were going to do something, to do it.”

Magnus added: “We’re going to use and utilize every second between now and then to make sure that we do something at a scale and with an approach that’s completely different than anything else anybody has done before us.

“We’re different from the NFL’s other partners who always do a stupendous job presenting the game. But the possibilities that exist with the Walt Disney Co. attacking the Super Bowl as a big event are endless. We’re very focused on it even now.”